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DXVit>  I.  (Twin 


The  Bernard  and  Jane  Schapiro  Professor  of 
Ancient  Near  Eastern  and  Judaic  Studies 

Cornell  University 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2017  with  funding  from 
Getty  Research  Institute 


https://archive.org/details/sumerianrecordsfOOnesb 


SUMERIAN  RECORDS  FROM  DREHEM 


COLUMBIA  UNIVERSITY  PRESS 
SALES  AGENTS 

New  York  : 

LEMCKE  & BUECHNER 
30-32  West  27th  Street 

London : 

HUMPHREY  MILFORD 
Amen  Corner,  E.C. 

Toronto : 

HUMPHREY  MILFORD 
25  Richmond  Street,  W. 


COLUMBIA  UNIVERSITY  ORIENTAL  STUDIES 
Vol.  VIII 


SUMERIAN  RECORDS  FROM  DREHEM 


BY 


WILLIAM  M.  NESBIT,  Ph.D. 


SOMETIME  FELLOW  OF  DREW  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY 


J I3eto  Pork 

COLUMBIA  UNIVERSITY  PRESS 
1914 


All  rights  reserved 


Copyright,  1914 

By  Columbia  University  Press 


Printed  from  type  December,  1914 


Press  of 

The  New  Era  Printing  Company 
Lancaster,  pa. 


NOTE 


The  business  and  record  literature  of  early  Babylonia  has  as- 
sumed such  extensive  proportions  that  it  now  constitutes  a dis- 
tinct branch  of  Assyriology  in  itself.  The  thousands  of  tablets 
embodying  business  documents  of  all  sorts,  such  as  Temple  rec- 
ords, deeds  of  sale,  public  and  private  contracts,  etc.,  are  often 
more  important  for  the  study  of  the  religious  and  social  life  of 
the  Babylonians  than  detailed  historical  records.  Although  per- 
haps less  interesting  to  the  modern  reader  than  pure  history,  these 
drily-expressed  and  often  abbreviated  documents  give  an  admir- 
able picture  of  the  daily  life  and  hence  of  the  social  culture  of  the 
civilization  where  they  originated. 

In  the  following  volume,  Dr.  Nesbit  presents  an  exhaustive 
treatise  on  thirty  tablets  from  Drehem  now  in  his  possession, 
which  belong  under  the  classification  of  business  documents, 
some  being  lists  of  live  stock,  intended  both  for  the  Temples  and 
individuals,  others  being  invoices  for  deliveries  of  property. 
Inasmuch  as  the  language  of  these  records  is  purely  Sumerian, 
although  used,  as  Dr.  Nesbit  points  out,  in  a closely  abbreviated 
style,  they  are  of  peculiar  interest  to  the  investigator  of  ancient 
Sumerian  forms.  Dating  from  a period  slightly  earlier  than  the 
twenty-fourth  century  B.C.,  this  literature  indicates  a remarkably 
high  grade  of  commercial  development  in  what  was  probably 
a non-Semitic  community. 

Dr.  Nesbit  has  succeeded  in  obtaining  satisfactory  renderings 
for  almost  every  line  and  in  some  instances  has  offered  new 
solutions  of  the  intricacies  of  this  very  difficult  form  of  text. 

John  Dyneley  Prince 


Columbia  University 


INSCRIBED  TO 


THEODORA  BENEDICT  DENNIS 

Sarrnt  Libbia 


PREFACE 


The  period  of  the  hegemony  of  the  city  of  Ur  over  the  land 
which  a later  age  has  denominated  “Babylonia”  was  character- 
ized by  a very  high  grade  of  civilization.  The  numerous  con- 
temporary records  which  have  come  to  light  within  the  last  few 
years  indicate  this  in  no  uncertain  way.  The  most  recent 
discovery  of  these  documents  is  the  rich  store  found  by  the  natives 
at  Drehem,  and  smuggled  by  them  out  of  the  country;  of  which 
find  the  tablets  described  in  this  book  are  a part. 

Special  attention  has  been  given  herein  to  the  detailed  study 
of  the  peculiar  jargon  in  which  these  ancient  business  records 
were  written.  Moreover  each  tablet  has  been  illustrated,  trans- 
literated, and  translated,  in  full;  so  that  the  entire  process  of 
decipherment  may  be  followed  out  step  for  step.  So  although 
these  thirty  tablets  do  not  contain  much  material  that  is  entirely 
new,  it  is  hoped  that  the  method  of  handling  may  be  of  interest 
to  the  student  of  this  class  of  literature. 

I wish  at  this  time  to  acknowledge  my  indebtedness  to  Pro- 
fessor John  Dyneley  Prince  of  Columbia  University,  without 
whose  kindly  cooperation  as  teacher  and  friend  this  monograph 
would  have  been  impossible.  I desire  also  to  express  my  pro- 
found gratitude  to  Professor  Robert  William  Rogers  of  Drew 
Theological  Seminary,  who  first  aroused  in  me  an  interest  in 
the  study  of  the  ancient  Orient,  and  whose  friendship  and  inter- 
est have  been  a constant  stimulus  in  my  work.  To  Professor 
Richard  J.  H.  Gottheil  of  Columbia  University  many  thanks 
are  due  for  numerous  helpful  suggestions  and  especially  for 
having  proposed  the  theme  of  this  dissertation.  Finally  to 
Dr.  Frederick  A.  Vanderburgh,  untiring  student  of  Assyriology, 
I am  deeply  indebted.  He  has  carefully  gone  over  all  the  trans- 
lations and  has  furnished  very  material  assistance  with  some 

ix 


PREFACE 


difficult  renderings.  In  particular,  his  familiarity  with  the  old 
Babylonian  seals  was  of  great  advantage  to  me. 

Of  course,  it  is  needless  for  any  student  of  Assyriology  to  men- 
tion his  dependence  upon  Briinnow’s  Sign-List  and  Delitzsch’s 
Lesestiicke;  but  I wish  to  place  alongside  these  books,  as  having 
been  invaluable  to  me  in  this  study,  Old  Babylonian  Temple 
Records  by  my  friend  Dr.  Robert  J.  Lau,  and  Prince’s  Ma- 
terials for  a Sumerian  Lexicon.  I have  also  derived  much  help 
from  Langdon’s  Sumerian  Grammar,  King’s  History  of  Sumer  and 
Akkad,  Legrain’s  Le  Temps  des  Rois  d’Ur,  and  Barton’s  Babylo- 
nian Writing. 


Montclair,  N.  J., 


W.  M.  N. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


List  of  Abbreviations  and  Graphic  Characters xiii 

Part  I.  Introductory  Matter 1 

§ 1.  Historical  Sketch 1 

§ 2.  The  Chronology  of  the  Dynasty  of  Ur 5 

§ 3.  The  Drehem  Tablets 6 

§ 4.  Description  of  Tablets 8 

§ 5.  The  Language 10 

§ 6.  The  Calendar 14 

§ 7.  Personal  Names  Occurring  on  Tablets 16 

§ 8.  Divine  Names  Occurring  on  Tablets 17 

§ 9.  Place  Names  Occurring  on  Tablets 18 

§ 10.  Classification  of  Animals 19 

Part  II.  Text  of  the  Tablets  22 

Part  III.  Sign-List  and  Glossary 60 

Alphabetical  Index  to  Sign-List 70 

Part  IV.  Plates 71 

Plates  of  Tablets 73 

Plates  of  Seals 91 


XI 


LIST  OF  ABBREVIATIONS  AND  GRAPHIC 
CHARACTERS  EMPLOYED  IN  THE  BOOK 


AJSL 

AL5 

BA 

BE 

BE,  XIV 


BE,  XV 


Br 


BSO 

BBW 

CT 

EBH 

GTD 

HBA 

HSA 

ISA 

JAOS 


Abbreviations 

American  Journal  of  Semitic  Languages  and 
Literatures. 

Delitzsch;  Assyrische  Lesestiicke  (Funfte  Auflage). 
Beitrage  zur  Assyriologie. 

The  Babylonian  Expedition  of  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania,  edited  by  H.  V.  Hilprecht. 

Clay;  Documents  from  the  Temple  Archives  of 
Nippur,  Dated  in  the  Reigns  of  Cassite  Rulers 
(Complete  Dates)— BE.  Series  A.  Volume 

XIV. 

Clay;  Documents  from  the  Temple  Archives  of 
Nippur,  Dated  in  the  Reigns  of  Cassite  Rulers 
(Incomplete  Dates)— BE.  Series  A.  Volume 

XV. 

Briinnow;  Classified  List  of  all  simple  and  com- 
pound cuneiform  ideographs. 

Barton;  A Sketch  of  Semitic  Origins. 

Barton;  Babylonian  Writing. 

Cuneiform  Texts  in  the  British  Museum,  copied  by 
Pinches,  King,  and  Thompson. 

Radau;  Early  Babylonian  History, 
de  Genouillac;  Tablettes  de  Drehem. 

Rogers;  History  of  Babylonia  and  Assyria. 

King;  History  of  Sumer  and  Akkad. 
Thureau-Dangin;  Inscriptions  Sumeriennes  Archa- 
iques. 

Journal  of  the  American  Oriental  Society. 

xiii 


XIV 


LIST  OF  ABBREVIATIONS 


JBL  = Journal  of  Biblical  Literature. 

KAT  = Schrader;  Die  Keilenschriften  und  das  Alte 
Testament. 

LSG  = Langdon;  Sumerian  Grammar. 

M-A  = Muss- Arnold;  Concise  Dictionary  of  the  Assyrian 

Language. 

MSL  = Prince;  Materials  for  a Sumerian  Lexicon. 

OBTR  = Lau;  Old  Babylonian  Temple  Records. 

PAAB  = Halevy;  Precis  d’Allographie  Assyro-Babylon- 

ienne. 

PN  = Peters;  Nippur. 

RBBA  = Jastrow;  Religious  Belief  in  Babylonia  and  Assyria. 

Rec.  Trav.  = Thureau-Dangin ; Recueil  de  Travaux  relatifs  a 

r 

la  Philologie  Egyptienne  et  Assyrienne. 

RA  = Revue  d'Assyriologie. 

SAD  = Myhrmann;  Sumerian  Administrative  Documents. 

— BE.  Series  A.  Volume  III.  Part  I. 

SAI  = Meissner;  Seltene  Assyrische  Ideogramme. 

TAD  = Langdon;  Tablets  from  the  Archives  of  Drehem. 

TRU  = Legrain;  Le  Temps  des  Rois  d’Ur. 

Other  abbreviations  used  are  obvious. 

Graphic  Characters 

x = Semitic  n 

q = Semitic  0 

c = Semitic 

s = Semitic  fijf 


PART  I 


INTRODUCTORY  MATTER 

§ 1.  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

The  dawn  of  history  finds  the  lower  plain  of  the  Tigris  and  the 
Euphrates  occupied  by  two  distinct  races.  A non-Semitic 
people,  now  known  as  the  Sumerians,  predominated  in  the 
southern  portion  of  the  country;  while  in  the  north  the  power  was 
in  the  hands  of  a Semitic  stock,  called  by  us  the  Babylonians  or 
Akkadians,  but  seemingly  self-described  as  “the  black-headed 
people.”  In  the  South,  which  came  ultimately  to  be  called 
“the  Land  of  Sumer  (or  Shumer),”  were  the  great  cities  of 
Lagash  (Shirpurla),  Ur,  Erech,  Gishuch  (Umma),  and  Eridu; 
and  in  the  North,  which  at  a later  time  was  distinguished  as 
“the  Land  of  Akkad,”  were  the  strongholds  of  Kish,  Agade 
(from  which  “Akkad”  took  its  name),  Sippar,  and  Babylon. 
It  is  generally  agreed  that  the  Sumerians  were  the  earlier  in- 
habitants of  the  country,  and  the  originators  of  its  civilization  and 
culture;  whereas  the  Semites  were  invaders  who  had  pressed  in 
from  Arabia,  or  from  Northern  Mesopotamia  (in  which  case  it 
is  still  probable  that  their  earlier  home  was  Arabia1),  and  had 
adopted  the  Sumerian  civilization.  However  the  development 
of  a rich  and  diversified  culture  seems  to  require  the  inter- 
mingling of  races,  the  mental  quickening  which  is  the  product  of 
the  fusing  of  various  ideals  and  mental  habits.  We  may  say, 

1 There  is  considerable  reason  to  suppose  that  the  ancestors  of  the  Semites 
came  into  Arabia  from  North  Africa,  where  they  had  formed  part  of  a primitive 
Hamito-Semitic  stock.  But  any  such  immigration  took  place,  if  at  all,  at 
such  a remote  epoch  that  for  practical  purposes  we  here  may  disregard  it. 
The  Pre-Semite  may  have  been  an  African;  but  the  pronounced  distinctive 
characteristics  that  make  up  the  Semite  as  such  were  developed  in  Arabia. 
(See  BSO.  eh.  /.) 

2 


1 


SUMERIAN  RECORDS  FROM  DREHEM 


therefore,  that  although  its  genesis  was  Sumerian,  the  civilization 
of  Babylonia,  as  we  find  it,  was  also  to  a very  great  degree 
Semitic.  Neither  Sumerian  alone  nor  Semite  alone  could  have 
created  it.  The  ethnic  affiliations  of  the  Sumerians  are  still  un- 
certain, as  well  as  the  circumstances  under  which  the  Semites 
entered  the  land;  and  investigators  are  seeking  to  analyze  the 
complex  and  intensely  interesting  civilization  produced  by  the 
intermingling  of  these  diverse  racial  elements.  At  what  time 
these  peoples  had  first  come  into  contact  with  each  other  we 
cannot  as  yet  determine;  but  it  would  seem  that  all  memory  of 
the  first  great  clash  had  vanished,  and  that  the  process  of  fusion 
had  been  in  operation  for  a long  period,  before  the  opening 
of  history. 

The  solution  of  these  problems  and  the  correct  writing  of  the 
history  of  ancient  Babylonia  is  complicated  to  a great  degree  by 
the  character  of  the  material  with  which  we  have  to  deal.  Here 
are,  not  connected  narrative  inscriptions,  “checked  off”  by  com- 
parison with  accurate  and  fairly  complete  chronological  tables — 
such  as  furnish  the  information  upon  which  the  history  of  Assyria 
is  based — but  quantities  of  more  or  less  isolated  records.  Votive 
inscriptions  in  which  a king  celebrates  a victorious  campaign; 
scraps  of  royal  genealogy;  thousands  of  business  documents  which 
furnish  valuable  suggestions  in  their  dates;  some  fragmentary  lists 
of  dates  and  remnants  of  broken  king-lists;  various  inscribed 
implements  and  vessels;  as  well  as  occasional  brief,  ambiguous, 
and  often  exceedingly  unreliable,  allusions  in  the  Assyrian  and 
later  Babylonian  literature — these  constitute  the  sources  which 
we  must  utilize.  Such  detached  material  requires  not  only 
translation,  but  interpretation  from  the  point  of  view  of  philology, 
archaeology,  and  epigraphy.  Naturally  there  is  considerable 
uncertainty  in  the  reading  of  evidence  so  fragmentary  and 
disconnected. 

There  is  much  disagreement  as  to  the  detailed  order  of  events, 
and  the  chronology  is  still  extremely  unsettled:  in  fact  estimates 
with  respect  to  the  date  of  some  kings  differ  by  several  centuries. 


2 


INTRODUCTORY— HISTORICAL  SKETCH 


But  into  the  detailed  discussion  of  these  matters  it  is  not  necessary 
for  us  to  enter  at  this  time.  We  shall  confine  ourselves  to  a 
summary,  an  outline  which  may  be  said  to  represent  the  con- 
sensus of  opinion  among  all  parties. 

We  catch  glimpses  in  the  early  records  of  numerous  city- 
states  struggling  for  supremacy — Sumerian  warring  with  Su- 
merian, and  Semite  with  Semite.  The  Sumerian  Lugalzaggisi, 
king  of  Erech  and  patesi  of  Gishuch,  for  a while  brought  the 
whole  of  Southern  Babylonia  into  subjection,  conducted  his 
armies  throughout  the  adjoining  regions,  seemingly  even  to  the 
Mediterranean  coast,  and  proudly  called  himself  “King  of  the 
Land.”  This  Sumerian  empire  fell  however  in  the  course  of  a 
couple  of  generations;  and  the  hegemony  passed  into  the  hands 
of  the  Semitic  kings  of  Kish.  These  in  turn  were  superseded  by 
the  dynasty  of  Agade,  among  whom  the  most  famous  is  Sargon  I,1 
whose  conquests  extended  from  the  Persian  Gulf  to  the  Mediter- 
ranean and  from  Arabia  to  the  Mountains  of  Kurdistan,  thus 
including  all  Mesopotamia,  Elam,  and  part  of  Syria.  This 
monarch  and  his  son  Naram-Sin  claimed  the  titles  “King  of 
Akkad,  King  of  the  Four  Quarters  (of  the  Universe).”  The 
political  dominance  of  the  Semite  at  this  period  would  appear  to 
be  firmly  established.  The  inscriptions  are  written  to  a very  great 
extent  in  Semitic;  and  the  monumental  carvings  mostly  represent 
bearded  Semites,  rather  than  smooth-shaven  Sumerians.2 

However  the  empire  of  Agade  seems  speedily  to  have  disinte- 
grated. The  patesis  of  the  various  cities  became  practically 
independent  rulers;  and  Babylonia  was  once  more  broken  up 
into  a number  of  city-states.  Meanwhile  the  Sumerian  power 
revived  again;  and  a period  of  wonderful  material  prosperity 
opened  in  the  southern  portion  of  the  land.  At  length,  after  the 
lapse  of  several  generations,  the  Sumerian  rulers  of  Ur  first 
conquered  their  neighbors  in  Sumer,  and  then  established  their 
supremacy  over  Akkad. 

1 Shar-gani-sharri. 

2 There  is  a corresponding  distinction  in  costumes,  and  in  facial  profile.  (See 
HSA.  pp.  40-55.) 


3 


SUMERIAN  RECORDS  FROM  DREHEM 


The  kings  of  the  dynasty  thus  inaugurated  were  Ur-Engur, 
Dungi,  Bur-Sin  I,  Gimil-Sin,  and  Ibi-Sin.  During  their 
reigns  the  inscriptions  are  very  preponderantly  Sumerian,  and 
a like  tendency  is  seen  in  art  and  in  customs.  There 
are  even  reasons  for  suspecting  that  this  Sumerian  renais- 
sance was  deliberately  promoted.  Ur-Engur  reigned  in  Ur 
for  eighteen  years.  He  made  himself  supreme  in  Southern 
Babylonia,  and  conquered  a sufficient  portion  of  the  North 
(including  in  particular  the  city  of  Nippur)  to  call  himself 
“King  of  Sumer  and  Akkad.”  His  son  Dungi  occupied  the 
throne  for  fifty-eight  years.  Dungi  completed  the  conquest  of 
Akkad,  devastating  Babylon  and  sacking  its  great  temple  E- 
sagila.  He  also  established  his  authority  over  Elam.  Probably 
as  the  result  of  these  conquests,  he  revived  Naram-Sin’s  title 
“King  of  the  Four  Quarters.”  Moreover  he  imitated  Sargon 
and  Naram-Sin  in  claiming  for  himself  divine  honors.  Temples 
were  erected  for  his  worship;  and  he  anticipated  Julius  Caesar 
and  Augustus  in  having  a month  named  for  him.  He  was 
succeeded  by  his  son  Bur-Sin,  who  was  probably  already  well- 
advanced  in  age,  and  whose  reign  of  nine  years  was  comparatively 
uneventful.  He  retained  his  father’s  power  and  likewise  was 
regarded  as  divine.  Both  he  and  his  successor  were  obliged 
to  suppress  occasional  revolts  in  the  Elamite  provinces.  Gimil- 
Sin,  son  of  Bur-Sin,  ruled  but  eight  years.1  He  maintained  the 
prowess  of  the  realm,  and  may  even  have  extended  his  sway 
into  Syria.2  But  the  seeds  of  decay  were  already  in  the  kingdom. 
The  highly  centralized  administration,  with  its  special  favoritism 
for  Ur,  must  have  provoked  local  jealousies.  Exaggerated 
luxury,  the  result  of  long-continued  prosperity  in  both  peace 
and  war,  sapped  the  Sumerian  military  spirit.  Finally,  with  a 
king  who  was  worshipped  as  one  of  the  gods,  and  therefore 
separated  by  a host  of  intermediaries  from  the  conduct  of 

1 He  ruled  for  only  seven  entire  calendar  years,  which  accounts  for  the  length 
of  reign  assigned  to  him  in  the  chronological  tables.  But  his  actual  reign 
covered  more  than  eight  years.  (See  SAD.  p.  8.) 

2 HSA.  p.  300. 


4 


INTRODUCTORY— CHRONOLOGY 


affairs,  corruption  in  many  forms  must  have  flourished; 
which  necessarily  weakened  the  loyalty  of  the  people.  Ibi- 
Sin,  son  of  Gimil-Sin,  reigned  for  about  a quarter  of  a century, 
but  over  a kingdom  whose  power  was  waning.  With  him  the 
dynasty  of  Ur  came  to  an  end,  when  the  city  itself  was  taken 
by  the  Elamites  and  the  last  king  of  Ur-Engur’s  line  was  carried 
away  into  captivity.1 

For  about  two  and  a quarter  centuries  the  hegemony  remained 
in  Sumer  with  the  kings  of  Isin,  although  their  position  was  by 
no  means  uncontested.  At  length  Elamite  invasions  and  con- 
quests caused  a general  breaking-up — a return  to  the  early  chaotic 
conditions.  This  period  of  confusion,  the  duration  of  which 
is  extremely  indefinite,  closed  when  Hammurapi  of  Babylon 
emerged  victorious  as  the  supreme  ruler  of  all  Sumer  and  Akkad; 
thus  securing  for  Babylon  that  leadership  among  the  cities  of 
Babylonia  which  she  was  never  to  lose  while  the  Land  of  Sumer 
and  Akkad  retained  its  name. 

(Bibliography  on  the  History:  HSA;  HBA.  vol.  I;  EBH; 
PAAB;  KAT.  pp.  7-18 ; TRU;  LSG.  pp.  1-18;  BSO.  ch.  I.) 

§2.  THE  CHRONOLOGY  OF  THE  DYNASTY  OF  UR 

* The  figures  in  the  last  column,  which,  it  will  be  seen,  differ  very  little 
from  those  of  Myhrmann,  follow  King’s  suggestion  that  Kudur-Nanchundi 
conquered  Ibi-Sin  in  2285;  and  also  take  account  of  the  fact  that  Gimil-Sin 
really  reigned  more  than  eight  years  (see  note  on  p.  4). 


Entire 

Dates  according  to  — 

Yrs.  of 

Radau 

Jastrow 

Myhrmann 

King 

Reign 

(1900) 

(1911) 

(1910) 

* 

Ur-Engur 

18 

? 

2300 

2408-2390 

2403-2385 

Dungi 

58 

2700 

2280 

2390-2332 

2385-2327 

Bur-Sin 

9 

2650 

2220 

2332-2323 

2327-2318 

Gimil-Sin 

7 

2600 

2210 

2323-2316 

2318-2310 

Ibi-Sin 

25 

2580 

2200 

2316-2291 

2310-2285 

(Bibliography  on  the  Chronology:  EBH.  p.  30;  RBBA.  p. 
430;  SAD.  pp.  8,  28-33;  HSA.  pp.  304f.) 

1 HSA.  p.  304. 


5 


SUMERIAN  RECORDS  FROM  DREHEM 


§3.  THE  DREHEM  TABLETS 

Near  the  boundary  between  Akkad  and  Sumer  lay  the  great 
city  of  Nippur.  It  was  reckoned  as  politically  part  of  Akkad; 
but  its  culture  seems  to  have  been  predominantly  Sumerian. 
Here  was  located  the  great  temple  of  the  god  Enlil.  This 
temple,  which  bore  the  exalted  name  E-kur,  “ House  of  the 
Mountain,”  was  the  supreme  center  of  the  religious  life  of  all 
Babylonia  throughout  the  early  period.  To  it  both  Sumerians 
and  Semites  brought  their  offerings;  and  it  was  honored  above 
all  other  shrines,  from  the  time  of  the  earliest  records  until  it  was 
overthrown  by  Hammurapi,  in  pursuance  of  his  policy  to  make 
Marduk  of  Babylon  supreme  among  the  gods.  Because  of  this 
position  of  religious  pre-eminence,  being  held  sacred  by  all, 
Nippur  seems  to  have  been  more  or  less  neutral  ground,  exempt 
from  the  fierce  struggles  that  devastated  the  rest  of  the  land. 
So  it  naturally  came  to  enjoy  great  material  prosperity;  and  be- 
came a place  of  vast  commercial  importance.  Its  site  is  now 
called  by  the  Arabs  Niffer.  Here  the  University  of  Pennsylvania 
Expeditions,  from  1888  on,  have  excavated  vast  quantities  of 
inscribed  material,  part  of  which  is  now  in  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania  Museum,  and  part  in  the  Imperial  Museum  at 
Constantinople.  Much  of  this  material  has  been  published 
under  the  direction  of  Prof.  Hilprecht. 

Drehem  is  the  modern  name  of  a small  mound,  located  about 
three  miles  south-east  of  Niffer  and  a like  distance  north  of  the 
village  of  Suq  el  Afej.  The  University  of  Pennsylvania  Ex- 
pedition did  some  tentative  excavating  here  in  1889;  but  found 
no  indications  of  anything  at  all  promising.  But  here,  in  1908 
or  1909,  the  Arabs  discovered  a store  of  inscribed  clay  tablets, 
which  they  surreptitiously  removed,  before  the  Turkish  author- 
ities had  had  opportunity  to  claim  them  for  the  Constantinople 
Museum.  So,  during  the  last  four  years,  these  tablets  have 
appeared,  in  varying  quantities,  at  various  places  in  Europe 


6 


INTRODUCTORY— THE  DREHEM  TABLETS 


and  America,  in  the  possession  of  private  collectors  or  in  the 
hands  of  dealers  in  Oriental  curios. 

From  these  tablets  it  would  appear  that,  during  the  latter  part 
of  Dungi’s  reign,  the  entire  period  of  Bur-Sin  and  Gimil-Sin,  and 
the  first  few  years  of  Ibi-Sin,  Drehem  was  the  site  of  the  temple 
market  of  Nippur.  At  least  here  are  the  archives  of  a great 
business  administration,  the  records  of  various  transactions  in 
cattle  and  grain,  lists  of  offerings,  accounts  of  rent  and  taxes, 
and  memoranda  of  miscellaneous  matters. 

The  first  notice  concerning  the  Drehem  find  was  given  by 
Thureau-Dangin  in  1910,  in  an  article  in  the  Revue  d’  Assyriologie, 
in  which  he  also  published  thirteen  tablets  ( RA . VII,  pp.  186ff). 
In  1911,  H.  de  Genouillac  produced  La  Trouvaille  de  Drehem,  in 
which  he  published  91  tablets  from  collections  in  Constantinople 
and  Brussels,  and  Tahlettes  de  Drehem,  in  which  he  published 
and  edited  175  tablets  from  the  Musee  du  Louvre;  S.  Langdon 
published  and  edited  68  tablets  from  the  British  Museum  and 
the  Bodleian  Library  in  Tablets  from  the  Archives  of  Drehem;  and 
L.  Delaporte  published  and  translated  21  tablets  from  private 
collections,  in  the  Revue  d’ Assyriologie  (RA.  VIII,  183ff).  The 
following  year,  P.  Dhorme  published  Tahlettes  de  Drehem  a 
Jerusalem  (RA.  IX,  pp.  39 ff);  and  L.  Legrain  issued  an  exceed- 
ingly valuable  work,  Le  Temps  des  Rois  d’Ur,  in  which  is  given 
the  result  of  the  careful  study  of  390  new  tablets  which  he 
publishes  therewith. 

The  tablets  published  in  the  present  book  are  part  of  a col- 
lection in  the  hands  of  the  author,  and  secured  for  him  by 
Professor  Gottheil  of  Columbia  University.  The  following  is  a 
brief  description  of  them. 

(Bibliography  on  Nippur:  PN.  II,  pp.  21^5-65;  BE.  vol.  V, 
Fasciculus  I,  pp.  26 f.) 

(Bibliography  on  Drehem:  GTD.  p.  VII;  TAD.  p.  5;  TRU. 
pp.  5ff;  Price  in  AJSL,  Apr.  1912,  pp.  21  Iff.) 


7 


SUMERIAN  RECORDS  FROM  DREHEM 


§4.  DESCRIPTION  OF  TABLETS 


Date 




> 

Measure- 

No. 

Reign 

Yr. 

Mon. 

ments,  cm. 

Description 

I 

Dungi 

25 

2 

3.7  x 3.5 

Account  of  3 gazelles 
expended 

II 

cc 

38 

9 

3.4  x 3.2 

Account  of  3 bulls 
received 

III 

cc 

41 

7 

3.3  x 2.8 

Memorandum  con- 
cerning a female 
slave 

IV 

cc 

44 

12 

3.8  x 3.5 

Receipt  for  timber 

V 

ce 

50 

11 

4.5  x 3.4 

Account  of  sacrifices 

VI 

ce 

54 

11 

2.6  x 2.5 

Account  of  1 lamb 
brought  in 

VII 

ce 

55 

1 

3.2  x 2.8 

Account  of  clothing 

VIII 

ec 

cc 

10 

2.7  x 2.4 

Receipt  for  goats 

IX 

cc 

56 

12 

4.  x 3.4 

Account  of  sheep 

X 

ce 

CC 

CC 

4.1  x 3.1 

Account  of  sacrifices 

XI 

cc 

CC 

5 

3.2  x 2.7 

Memorandum  con- 
cerning sheep 

XII 

cc 

57 

11 

3.5  x 3.1 

Account  of  sacrifices 

XIII 

Bur-Sin 

2 

1 

3.2  x 2.8 

Receipt  for  cattle 

XIV 

cc 

cc 

4 

4.9  x 3.9 

Account  concerning 
tribute  in  cattle 

XV 

cc 

cc 

5 

3.4  x 3.1 

Record  of  tax  paid  in 
sheep 

XVI 

cc 

cc 

6 

3.6x3. 

Account  of  sheep  and 
goats 

XVII 

cc 

7 

8 

5.3  x 3.7 

Account  of  sacrifices 

XVIII 

cc 

8 

2 

4.3  x 4.5 

Receipt  for  tax  paid 
in  grain 

XIX 

cc 

cc 

9 

4.4  x 3.7 

Account  of  sheep  and 
goats 

8 


INTRODUCTORY— DESCRIPTION  OF  TABLETS 


XX 

Bur-Sin 

9 

2 

3.1  x 2.8 

Record  of  payments 
of  palace  tribute 

XXI 

Gimil-Sin 

2 

8 

3.9  x 3.3 

Account  of  sacrifices 

XXII 

cc 

3 

3.7  x 3.4 

Memorandum  con- 
cerning rent  for  a 
ship 

XXIII 

cc 

4 

1 

4.  x 3.8 

Record  of  offering  for 
a priestess 

XXIV 

(( 

11 

3.9  x 3.7 

Record  concerning  a 
bull 

XXV 

cc 

5 

1 

10.7x6.7 

Inventory  of  a large 
herd  of  cattle 

XXVI 

cc 

CC 

CC 

4.7x4. 

Receipt  for  offerings 
in  grain 

XXVII 

CC 

CC 

10 

6.  x 4. 

Receipt  for  sheep  and 
goats  for  various 
purposes 

XXVIII 

CC 

7 

5 

4.  x 3.4 

Account  concerning 
tribute  in  lambs 

XXIX 

cc 

C( 

7 

4.9  x 4.1 

Account  of  sacrifices 

XXX 

Ibi-Sin 

1 

11 

4.7  x 3.8 

Receipt  for  cattle 

XVIII  has  faint  traces  of  a seal. 

XXIII  is  broken  on  the  end.  Has  a seal. 

XXIV  has  a seal,  only  partly  legible,  but  identical  with  that 
on  XXIX. 

XXV  is  broken  on  the  edge;  but  much  of  what  is  missing  can 
be  supplied. 

The  date  of  XXVI  and  XXVII  is  made  Gimii-Sin  5 on  the 
basis  of  Langdon,  TAD.  p.  18. 

XXVII  has  seals,  but  illegible. 

XXIX  has  a seal. 

XXX  has  a seal. 

(Bibliography  on  the  Dates:  ISA.  pp.  328ff;  SAD.  pp.  28ff.) 

9 


SUMERIAN  RECORDS  FROM  DREHEM 


§5.  THE  LANGUAGE 

The  language  of  these  tablets  is  apparently  pure  Sumerian: 
that  is,  except  for  some  few  Semitic  personal  names,  there  is 
nothing  in  them  that  is  distinctively  Semitic.  Of  course  it  is 
entirely  possible  that  the  use  of  Sumerian  in  business  documents 
even  at  this  time  was  only  a conventional  survival  of  ancient 
custom  among  a people  who  already  were  using  the  Semitic 
idiom  in  ordinary  conversation,  just  as  the  medical  profession 
of  to-day  employs  a Latin  jargon  in  prescriptions  and  to  some 
extent  in  diagnoses.  Nay  more,  these  documents  may  even 
have  been  read  in  Semitic,  as  we  render  the  Latin  abbreviations 
“Lb”  and  “Etc.”  “pound”  and  “ and-so-forth,”  without  thought 
of  “librum”  or  “ et  cetera”  But  this  is  merely  among  the 
possibilities:  there  is  no  evidence  for  it  on  these  tablets.  There 
is  not  even  indication  that  a single  sign  was  given  its  Semitic 
value. 

The  writing  is  almost  entirely  ideographic,  and  is  nearly  devoid 
of  definite  sentence  structure.  The  text  in  fact  may  be  said  to 
consist  of  disconnected  notes,  in  extremely  abbreviated  form. 
They  remind  one  in  this  regard  of  our  present-day  invoices,  bills 
of  lading,  receipts,  etc. 

Common  nouns  are  generally  indicated  by  a single  simple  or 
compound  ideogram.  ( udu  = sheep;  e = house;  lugal  = king, 
etc.)  The  plural,  when  indicated,  is  expressed  by  doubling  of 
Grammatical  Notes:  the  sign  (ni-ni  = gods,  XI,  O,  3;  sigisse- 
The  Noun  sigisse  = offerings,  X,  R,  1),  or  by  the 
termination  -ene  ( kusene  = officers,  XXVII,  O,  3) ; but  when  a 
numeral  is  given,  no  further  indication  of  the  plural  is  deemed 
necessary.  Some  nouns  have  natural  gender  {en  — lord;  nin  = 
lady;  cu-qar  --  young  she-goat;  etc.).  In  some  other  cases  the 
feminine  is  expressed  by  prefixing  sal  (=  female)  ( sal-sil  = she- 
lamb;  etc.).  Case-inflection  generally  does  not  appear;  but  we 
find  -e  indicating  the  status  rectus,  with  a force  often  resembling 
that  of  a definite  article  ( gud-e , XII,  O,  1;  lugal-e,  XIV,  R,  8; 

10 


INTRODUCTORY— THE  LANGUAGE 


bir-e,  XXVI,  R,  6)  (see  LSG.  pp.  62f),  and  -a  indicating  the 
status  obliquus  ( mal-a , XVII,  R,  4,  here  it  has  the  force  of  the 
genitive)  (LSG.  pp.  6^ff).  Prefixed  nam-  or  a-  forms  abstract 
nouns  ( nam-sid  = priesthood,  IX,  O,  5;  a-lum  = fruitfulness, 
XVI,  O,  4;  a-sig  = wooliness,  VIII,  O,  1).  Proper  nouns  are 
most  often  written  syllabically,  “spelled  out”;  but  occasionally 
employ  ideograms.  The  names  of  deities  and  of  deified  men  are 
regularly  preceded  by  the  sign  dingir  (=  god).  Place-names 
most  frequently  have  the  suffix  -hi  ( = place).  The  determi- 
native gis  (—  wood)  precedes  wooden  articles.  (0™gu-za  = 
throne,  XX,  O,  5.) 

Adjectives  and  adjectival  expressions  generally  follow  the  noun 
which  they  qualify  (udu-xul;  lugal  ligga ; etc.).  But  there  areexcep- 
Th  Ad'  t'  tions  to  this  rule  ( sal-sil ; etc.).  Adjectives  are  ex- 
pressed simply  and  are  uninflected.  (See  LSG.  p.  99.) 

The  Sumerian  language  had  an  elaborate  system  of  prefixes 
and  suffixes,  to  fulfill  the  place  of  both  the  prepositions  and  the 
complete  inflexional  system  of  other  tongues;  and  a number  of 

Prepositions  and  these  prefixes  and  suffixes  appear  on  these 
Prepositional  Suffixes  tablets.  A list  follows: 

-ge  is  used  to  express  the  genitive,  when  the  genitive  so  ex- 
pressed is  itself  in  the  status  rectus  (nominative  or  accusative) 
(lugal  uruabkima-ge  = king  of  Ur  (subject  of  sentence),  XXV, 
Col.  IV,  8). 

- ga  is  used  to  express  the  genitive,  when  the  genitive  so  ex- 
pressed is  in  the  status  obliquus  (en  dnina  urukki-ga  — lord  of 
Nina-of-Erech  (dnina  urukkiga  being  itself  a genitive  related 
to  en),  XXVI,  R,  6). 

-ra  implies  the  idea  of  motion  towards,  hence  may  direct  the 
attention  to,  the  word  to  which  it  is  attached  (se-da-ra,  see  note 
on  XVIII,  R,  4). 

-su  means  towards,  unto,  up  to,  until,  at,  and  even  with  (see 
LSG.  pp.  70-73).  On  these  tablets  it  may  generally  be  translated 
for  (sadug-su= for  the  regular  offering,  XVIII,  0, 2 ; ddungi-xegalki- 
su  = for  Dungi-xegalki,  XXII,  O,  4;  etc.). 


11 


SUMERIAN  RECORDS  FROM  DREHEM 


-da  implied  originally  contact  with  ( LSG . p.  73),  accompaniment , 
intimate  relation,  and  purpose  (regarded  subjectively)  (LSG. 
74.-76)  ( se-da  = of  the  grain,  XVIII,  O,  2;  e-da  = for  a house 
(intention  implied),  IV,  0,  2;  sag-da  = in  chief,  XXII,  O,  3). 

-ta  means  primarily  from;  but,  like  the  Latin  de,  comes  to 
signify  concerning  and  may  indicate  practically  a status  obliquus 
or  a genitive  (see  LSG.  pp.  76-78).  (Note  the  progression: 
unaka-ta  = from  Unaka,  XXII,  R,  1;  itu-ta  ud  XVIII  etc.  = 
when  of  (or  from)  the  month  18  days  etc.,  V,  R,  10;  sa  ( — in) 
mudura-ta  = in  Mudura,  XXI,  R,  1;  mu  eani-ta—su  = “for  the 
name  of  his  house,”  XI,  0,  2.) 

-ni  is  read  in  (see  XI,  R,  1 and  Note,  and  cf.  Br.  5335  for 
prepositional  use  of  NI). 

Occasionally  two  suffixes  are  used  together  (-da-ra,  XVIII,  R, 
4;  -ta-su,  XI,  O,  2).  (With  reference  to  this  use  of  double  post- 
position, compare  the  use  of  -ta-ku  in  Macmillan,  Religious  Texts, 
No.  XXXII  (BA.  V,  p.  679),  translated  by  Prince  in  JAOS,  1913.) 

There  are  some  elements  that,  originally  nouns,  have  come 
when  associated  with  certain  suffixes  to  form  a combination  with 
prepositional  signification.  In  such  combination  the  nominal 
element  precedes,  while  of  course  the  suffix  follows,  the  noun  or 
phrase  which  the  preposition  governs.  Such  combinations  are: 
ki  . . . ta.  ki  — place;  hence  ki-ABC-ta  — from  the  place  of 
ABC  = from  ABC  (ki-abhasagga-ta  = from  Abbasagga,  I,  R, 
2;  etc.) 

mu  . . . su.  mu  = name;  hence  mu-XBC-ta  = for  the 
name  of  ABC  = intended  for,  or  addressed  to,  ABC.  (mu- 
kusene-su  = intended  for  the  officers,  XXVII,  0,  3;  mu-nin-su  — 
for  the  lady,  XXIII,  O,  2;  mu— eani-ta—su  — intended  for  his 
house,  XI,  O,  2.) 

The  independent  forms  of  the  pronouns  (see  LSG.  pp.  101  ff) 
do  not  appear  on  these  tablets,  nor  do  we  find  any  examples 
of  the  suffixed  or  infixed  forms  for  the  first 
person.  We  discover  however  instances  of 
the  attached  forms  of  the  second  and  third  persons: 


12 


INTRODUCTORY— THE  LANGUAGE 


summits  ” XXII, 
he  has  received  them , 


( nita-zu  — thy  servant,  XXIX,  S,  8). 

-hi  ( kilal~hi  = their,  or  its,  value,  VII,  O,  2 & 4,  & R,  1). 

-ha  ( ma-II-a-ha-su  = for  his  two  ships,  XII,  R,  3). 

-ni  ( ea-ni—ta  = for  his  house,  XI,  O,  2). 

-na  ( sag-da-na  = literally,  its- in-chief  == 

0,3).  . 

-an-,  infixed  direct  object  ( su-ha-an-ti 
XXVII,  R,  3;  XXX,  R,  2). 

Here  Langdon’s  theory  (see  LSG.  pp.  105 ff)  of  a distinction 

between  animate  and  inanimate  objects  seems  to  break  down, 

nor  is  the  supposed  distinction  as  to  the  status  consistently 

carried  through.  In  short  the  various  forms  of  the  attached 

pronoun  are  yet  to  be  explained. 

The  verbal  forms  which  appear  are  few  and  simple.  The 

abstract  idea  of  the  verb,  whether  infinitive  or  participial,  is 

expressed  by  the  unaugmented  stem  (us  — stand,  sa  = bind, 

in  mu  us-sa  = the  year  which  stands  hound  = 
The  Verb  . . , , . 

the  year  after;  a very  common  formula  m 

dates).  There  is  a form  consisting  of  the  stem  with  an  over- 
hanging vowel  (or  vowel  of  prolongation)  and  reduplication  of 
the  final  consonant,  which  in  usage  resembles  a passive  participle 
(zig-ga,  XXVII,  O,  6;  temen-na,  XVII,  O,  9).  The  prefix  mu 
conveys  a definite  active  idea,  while  ha  prefixed  indicates  a 
passive,  or  possibly  impersonal,  construction.  (Compare  mu- 
xul,  XIV,  R,  9,  with  ha-xul,  III,  R,  4;  and  mu-ru,  XXV,  Col. 
IV,  11,  with  ha-ru,  XXIV,  R,  4.)  In  the  common  form  su-ha-ti, 
the  stem  is  ti  ( = take),  su  gives  a strongly  active  idea  (LSG* 
p.  144),  and  ha  conveys  the  thought  of  one  acting  from  a distance 
for  himself  (LSG.  p.  139);  so  we  translate  he  has  received  (IV,  R, 
3;  and  many  other  places). 

Conjunction  The  conjunction  sa  (U)  = and,  appears 

occasionally;  but  most  often  the  connective 

is  not  expressed. 

The  numeral  1 appears  on  these  tablets  in  three  forms,  a single 
stroke,  either  upright,  horizontal,  or  inclined  at  an  angle.  The 


13 


SUMERIAN  RECORDS  FROM  DREHEM 


upright  numeral  is  the  one  ordinarily  employed;  but  the  hori- 
zontal form  is  used  before  gur  (a  grain-measure  = 300  qa) 

„ „ , (XVIII,  0,  1)  and  the  inclined  stroke  is  used 

The  Numerals  . . . 

m connection  with  the  sign  LAL  (signifying 

loss  or  reduction,  hence  = minus)  ( a-du  X-lal-I-kam  = the  ninth 

time,  VI,  R,  3-4). 

2 and  3 employ  repetitions  of  the  numeral  1,  arranged  side- 
by-side. 

4-8  also  use  repetitions  of  the  1,  but  arranged  in  two  rows. 

9 is  written  X-lal-I  — 10-1  (VI,  R,  3). 

10  is  represented  by  a corner-wedge. 

20  and  the  other  multiples  of  10,  up  to  50,  use  the  proper 
number  of  corner-wedges. 

Units  of  lesser  denomination  are  always  written  after  the 
units  of  larger  denomination  (X.I  = XI;  XXX. Ill  = XXXIII; 
etc.). 

60  and  multiples  of  60  are  indicated  by  the  same  signs  as  1,  2, 
etc.,  but  generally  they  are  written  somewhat  larger  ( seven- 
sixties  plus  forty  plus  six  = Ifi6,  IV,  O,  1).  Of  course  tens 
follow  sixties,  as  ones  follow  tens. 

600  is  represented  sometimes  by  the  combination  of  an  upright 
and  a corner-wedge,  which  combination  is  repeated  for  1200  or 
other  multiples  of  600  ( twice-six-hundred  plus  five-sixties  = 
1500,  XXVI,  O,  1).  Sometimes  it  is  indicated  simply  by  a large 
corner- wedge  (twice-six-hundred  plus  twenty  plus  three  = 1223, 
IV,  O,  3). 

Naturally  there  is  often  uncertainty  whether  an  upright  is  to 
be  read  as  a sixty  or  a unit;  and  six-hundred  is  liable  to  be  taken 
for  either  seventy  or  ten. 

Fractions  employed  special  signs  (sussana  = -Is,  VII,  O,  4). 
§6.  THE  CALENDAR 

At  the  period  of  these  tablets  the  Calendar  was  in  considerable 
confusion.  Apparently  there  were  several  different  sets  of 


14 


INTRODUCTORY— THE  CALENDAR 


month-names  in  use  in  the  various  cities  of  the  kingdom  of  Ur. 
The  following  is  the  system  employed  at  D rehem,  which  differs 
somewhat  even  from  that  which  was  most  used  in  the  neigh- 
boring city  of  Nippur. 


(1)  Aug.-Sept. 

(2)  Sept.-Oct. 

(3)  Oct.-Nov. 

(4)  Nov.-Dee. 

(5)  Dec.-Jan. 

(6)  Jan. -Feb. 

(7)  Feb. -Mar. 

(8)  Mar.-Apr. 

(9)  Apr.-May 

(10)  May-June 

(11)  June- July 

(11a) 

(12)  July- Aug. 


itu  Masruku  = month  of  eating  gazelles 
itu  Sesdaku  = month  of  eating  zebu  (?)  or 
swine  (?) 

itu  Unexuku  = month  of  eating  “une - 
birds  ” 

itu  Kisig  dNinasu  = month  of  the  Couch 
of  Ninasu 

itu  Ezen  d Ninasu  = month  of  the  Festival 
of  Ninasu 

itu  Akiti  = month  of  the  New  Year 
itu  Ezen  dDungi  = month  of  the  Festival 
of  Dungi 

itu  Suessa  = ? (probably  has  some  refer- 
ence to  “ third  month  ”) 
itu  Ezen-max  = month  of  the  Great  Festi- 
val 

itu  Ezen  Anna  — month  of  the  Festival  of 
Anna 

itu  Ezen  (' d)Mekigal  = month  of  the  Festi- 
val of  Mekigal 

(itu  Ezen-dirig-Mekigal,  an  intercalary 
month  inserted  every  four  years) 
itu  Seqinkud  = month  of  the  grain-harvest 


The  months  were  probably  strictly  lunar  (TRU.  p.  15);  therefore 
the  frequent  introduction  of  the  intercalary  month  was  necessary, 
in  order  to  retain  the  stability  of  the  calendar.  The  official 
year  seems  to  have  begun  with  Masruku  at  this  time;  but  the 
names  Akiti  and  Suessa  were  apparently  remnants  of  an  earlier 
system,  kept  alive  by  the  conservatism  of  religious  ceremonial. 

(Bibliography  on  the  Calendar:  EBH.  pp.  287-307;  TAD . 
pp.  6-16;  TRU.  pp.  13-16) 


SUMERIAN  RECORDS  FROM  DREHEM 


§ 7.  PERSONAL  NAMES  OCCURRING  ON  TABLETS 


Abbasagga.  I,  II,  XIV,  XVI, 
XIX. 

Abilzimti  (Sem.)  = Bearer-of- 
Ornament.  XV,  XIX. 
Adatum.  I. 

Addakalla.  XX. 

Axuni  (Sem.)  = Our-Brother. 

VIII,  XI,  XVII. 

Axupir  (Sem.)  = Brother-of-f . 
XXV. 

Axupiqar  (Sem.)  = Brother-of-f . 
XU. 

Akalla.  I. 

dAmar-dEn-zu  = iluBur-niSin 
q.v. 

Anana.  VII. 

Asnia.  XXX. 

Atur.  XVII. 

Babati.  XXVIII. 
Barbarnimin(?).  IV. 

Bidea(?)  XIX. 
iiuBur-iliSin.  XIII,  XIV,  XV, 
XVI,  XX. 

Duggasagud.  XXVII. 
Duggali.  XXIX. 
dDungi.  III.  (See  also  Divine 
Names.) 

dDungi-amu.  XIII,  XV. 
dDungi-xegalki.  XXII. 
dDungi-urumu.  XXVII. 
En-dingir-mu.  Ill,  XVII. 
En-dDungi.  XXIII. 


dEnlil-zisaggal.  XIX,  XXI, 
XXV. 

Ennam-dDungi.  XXIII. 
En-dNina.  IX,  XIV. 

Erimu.  XVII,  XXVII. 
Gimil-niDungi  (or  Su-dDungi). 
XVII. 

iluGimil-iliSin.  XXV,  XXVIII. 
Gir-dLux.  XV. 

Xe-sag(?).  XXIII. 
Xukuxabma.  IX. 
Xupiqar-abrabdu(?).  XXVII. 
Idda.  XIV. 

Idderu.  IX. 

dIbi-dEnzu  = iluI b i-iUS i n. 
XXX. 

Idegalurra.  X. 

Intaea.  XXI,  XXVIII. 
Ipsaxani  (Sem.)  = He-has- 
pacified-us.  XIV. 
Isarbaliggingab.  XIV. 
Lubalsagga.  IX. 
Lugal-magurri.  XXVIII. 
Lugal-nirgal.  XI. 

Lugal-sidi.  III. 

Lugal-sesura.  XXIX. 
Lugal-turra.  XVII. 

Lukani.  XXVI. 

Lu-dNingirsu.  XXX. 
Lu-dNintu.  XXX. 

Lusagga.  IX. 

Lusasi.  XXX. 


16 


INTRODUCTORY— DIVINE  NAMES 


Malakam  (Sem.)  = Prince  (?). 
XIV. 

Malni-dEnzu.  XXIII. 

Malux  (Sem.)  = Sailor.  XIV. 
Masugazuku.  II. 

Nalul.  XVI. 

Naram-Ilani  (Sem.)  = Beloved - 
of-the-gods.  XL 
Nekanimur.  XVIII. 

Nigi.  IV. 

Ningal.  V. 

Ninkagina.  XVIII. 
Nur-dEnzu.  XXI,  XXVIII. 
Nur-dIm.  XXVI. 
Cilus-dDagan  (Sem.)  = His- 
Protedion-is-Dagan.  IX. 
gepagga.  I. 
gesdada.  IX. 


gu~dDungi=  Gimil-iIiDungiq.v. 
dgu-dEnzu  = iluGimil-mSin  q.v. 
gugaganui.  XIV. 
gudar.  XVIII. 

Udaralsu.  XXVIII. 

Unaka.  XXII. 

Urazagnunna.  XXVII. 
Ur-dBau,  A son  of  Bur-Sin. 

XX.  (See  EBH.  p.  274.) 
Ur-dDungi.  XXIX. 
Ur-dDungi-sarbimu(?).  XXX. 
Ur-dGalaiim-gisnin(?).  XIX. 
Ur-dXani.  XXIX. 

Ur-dLuseka.  X. 

Urnigingar.  VIII,  XIII. 
Ur-dNingiszidda.  XVIII. 
Ursugasullu.  XXX. 

Zubaga.  XX. 


8.  DIVINE  NAMES  OCCURRING  ON  TABLETS 


Allagula.  V. 

Anna.  VIII;  XII;  XXVII. 
Bau.  XX. 

Dagan.  V;  IX. 

Dungi  (deified  king).  XIII; 
XV;  XVII;  XXII;  XXIII; 
XXVII;  XXIX;  XXX. 
(See  also  Personal  Names.) 
Enzu.  XIII;  XIV;  XV;  XVI; 
XX;  XXI;  XXIII;  XXV; 
XXVIII;  XXIX;  XXX. 
Enlil.  V;  X;  XVII;  XIX;  XXI; 

XXV;  XXIX. 

Galalim.  XIX. 

Im.  XXVI. 


Xani.  XXIX. 

Lux.  XV. 

Luseka.  X. 

Mekigal,  generally  written 
without  the  god-sign.  V ; 
VI;  XII;  XXIV;  XXX. 
Occurs  on  these  tablets  only 
in  month-name.  (See  Calen- 
dar.) 

Nana.  XII. 

Nannar.  I;  V;  XVII;  XXL 
N annar-Qarzida.  XX. 

Nina  (or  Innanna).  V;  IX; 
X;  XII;  XIV. 


3 


17 


SUMERIAN  RECORDS  FROM  DREHEM 


Nina  (or  Innanna)  of  Erech. 

XVII;  XXVI;  XXVII. 
Ninasu.  XI;  XIV;  XV; 
XXVIII.  Occurs  on  these 
tablets  only  in  month-names. 
(See  Calendar.) 

Ningal(ge).  V. 

Ningirsu.  XXX. 


Ningiszidda.  XVIII. 

Ninlil.  V;  X;  XVII;  XXI; 
XXIX. 

Nintu.  XXX. 

Paku.  V. 

gig  uuj)amqUj  XIV,  p. 

59;  BE,  XV,  p.  54).  XII. 
Tiladdar.  X. 


§9.  PLACE  NAMES  OCCURRING  ON  TABLETS 


Adamdunki,  probably  located 
in  Elam  ( HSA.p . 290).  IV. 

AdluzidaxrP1,  unknown.  XVII. 

Ansanki,  an  important  province 
of  Elam;  ultimately  con- 
queredUr  ( HSA . p.  SOJ().  IV. 

Enlilki  = Nippur  q.v 

Erech  (Urukki),  one  of  the 
chief  cities  of  Southern 
Babylonia.  X,  XII,  XVII, 
XXVI,  XXVII. 

Eridu  (Nunki),  an  important 
city  located  on  the  shore  of 
the  Persian  Gulf,  at  this 
time;  but  now  far  inland 
(HSA.  p.  282).  II,  XVIII, 
XIX. 

Ganxarki,  a district  in  the 
mountains,  east  of  the  Tigris 
(HSA.p.  287).  III. 

(kalam)  Gannagi,  unknown. 
XII. 

Xuxunuriki,  likely  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  Elam.  XVII. 

Xumurtiki,  probably  a district 


of  Elam  (HSA.  p.  287).  IX, 
XI,  XII. 

Kimaski,  located  in  the  vicinity 
of  Elam  (HSA.  p.  290).  IX, 
X,  XI,  XII. 

Lulubuki,  a principality  among 
the  Zagros  hills  (HSA.  p.  55). 
VI. 

Lursuki,  unknown.  III. 

Magan,  unknown.  VIII. 

kurMartu,  the  western  country 
(KAT.pp.l78ff).  IX. 

Mudura,  unknown  XXL 

Nippur  (Enlilki),  see  Intro- 
duction. V,  X,  XIV. 

Nunki  = Eridu  q.v. 

Pidaltum,  unknown.  XIII. 

Simalum(or  -num)ki,  probably 
an  Elamite  province.  XXII, 
XXIII. 

Simurumki,  a country  prob- 
ably in  the  vicinity  of  Lulu- 
bu  and  Ganxar  (HSA.  p. 

287).  VI. 


INTRODUCTORY — CLASSIFICATION  OF  ANIMALS 


Sidtabki,  a city  in  Northern 
Babylonia  {ESA.  p.  206). 
X1Y. 

Tummal,  mentioned  frequently 
on  Drehem  tablets;  but  un- 
known. XVII,  XXIX. 
Urbilumki,  a province  among 
the  Zagros  hills  ( HSA.p.802 ). 
VII,  VIII,  XIV,  XV,  XVI. 


Urukki  = Erech  q.v. 

Uruabkima  = Ur,  see  Introduc- 
tion. X,  XXV,  XXVIII, 
XXIX. 

(mada)  Zapsaliki,  unknown 
region,  conquered  by  Gimil- 
Sin.  XXVIII,  XXIX. 


There  are  excellent  maps  in  HSA  and  TRU. 


§10.  CLASSIFICATION  OF  ANIMALS 

The  following  animals  are  mentioned  on  these  tablets,  as  used 
in  business  transactions,  or  employed  for  sacrifice. 
gud  — ox  or  bull ; also  used  to  indicate  the  bovine  species  in  gen- 
eral. 

gudu{ SAM)  = “ox  of  (the)  meadow”  = pastured  ox. 

gud  se  = “ox  of  wheat”  = fattened  ox  (see  note  on  II,  0,  1). 

gud  mu  III  = “ox  of  three  years.” 

gud  se  sig  = fattened  ox  of  fine  (first)  quality.1 

gud  se  sig  us  = fattened  ox  of  good  (second)  quality.2 

gud  se  III-kam  us  — fattened  ox  of  third  quality. 

gud  se  IV -kam  us  = fattened  ox  of  fourth  quality. 

gud  amar  ga  = “ox,  young,  of  milk”  = suckling  bull-calf. 

ab  = cow. 

ab  u = pastured  cow. 

ab  mu  II  = two-year-old  cow. 

ab  amar  ga  = suckling  cow-calf. 

udu  = sheep;  used  also  in  general  to  refer  to  sheep  and  goats 
collectively. 

udu  u = pastured  sheep. 

1 sig  ~ damiqtu  (Br.  9446)  ~ sweet,  purified  = fine  quality. 

2 Hg  u$  ~ “next  to  fine.”  Compare  Lau’s  rendering  of  us  lugal  ( OBTR ., 
P-  89). 


19 


SUMERIAN  RECORDS  FROM  DREHEM 

udu  se  = fattened  sheep. 
udu  se  sig  = fattened  sheep  of  fine  quality. 
udu  se  sig  us  = fattened  sheep  of  good  quality. 
udu  se  III-kam  us  — fattened  sheep  of  third  quality. 
udu  se  IV-Jcam  us  — fattened  sheep  of  fourth  quality. 
udu  gud-e  us-sa  — stall-fed  sheep  (see  note  on  XII.  0,  1). 
udu  se  gud-e  us-sa  = fattened  stall-fed  sheep. 
udu-xul  — superior  sheep  (see  note  on  IX,  0,  1). 
udu-xul  nigin-ru  = superior  sheep  in  perfect  condition  (see  note 
on  IX,  0,  2). 

udu  a-lum  — “fruitful  sheep”  = pregnant  sheep  (see  note  on 
XVI,  0,  4). 

udu  a-lum  nigin-ru  = pregnant  sheep  in  perfect  condition. 

ganam  = ewe. 

ganam  u = pastured  ewe. 

ganam  se  = fattened  ewe. 

ganam  se  sig  = fattened  ewe  of  fine  quality. 

ganam-xul  = superior  ewe. 

ganam-xul  nigin-ru  = superior  ewe  in  perfect  condition  (XVI,  R, 

1?). 

sil  = lamb;  more  particularly,  male  lamb. 
sil  se  = fattened  lamb. 

sil  gab  = “lamb  of  meal”  (fed  upon  ground  grain)  = weaned 
lamb.1 

sil  ga  = suckling  lamb. 

sil  udu-xul  = lamb  of  superior  sheep. 

sal-sil  — she-lamb. 

sal-sil  se  = fattened  she-lamb. 

sal-sil  gab  = weaned  she-lamb. 

sal-sil  ga  — suckling  she-lamb. 

uz  — goat,  especially  the  female  (Br.  3707) . 

uz  u = pastured  goat. 

uz  a-sig  = goat  with  wool  (see  note  on  VIII,  0,  1). 

1 This  rendering  is  based  both  upon  the  meaning  of  gab  and  upon  the  fact  that 
on  Tablet  XXV  the  sil  gab,  sal-sil  gab,  bir  gab,  and  cu-qar  gab  are  listed  between 
the  more  mature  animals  and  the  sucklings  (see  XXV,  Col.  III). 

20 


INTRODUCTORY— CLASSIFICATION  OF  ANIMALS 


bir-gal 1 = “large  kid”  = he-goat  ( TRU .,  p.  18). 

bir-gal  u = pastured  he-goat. 

bir-gal  se  = fattened  he-goat. 

bir-gal  se  sig  = fattened  he-goat  of  fine  quality. 

bir-gal  se  sig  us  = fattened  he-goat  of  good  quality. 

bir-gal  se  III-kam  us  = fattened  he-goat  of  third  quality. 

bir-gal  se  IV -karri  us  — fattened  he-goat  of  fourth  quality. 

bir-gal  se  gud-e  us-sa  — fattened  stall-fed  he-goat. 

bir2  — kid;  more  particularly,  male  kid. 

bir  se  — fattened  kid. 

bir  gab  = weaned  kid. 

bir  ga  a-sig  = suckling  kid  with  wool. 

cu-qaV  = young  she-goat,  goat-heifer. 

cu-qar  se  = fattened  goat-heifer. 

cu-qar  se  sig  — fattened  goat-heifer  of  fine  quality. 

cu-qar  se  sig  us  = fattened  goat-heifer  of  good  quality. 

cu-qar  se  III-kam  us  = fattened  goat-heifer  of  third  quality. 

cu-qar  se  IV-kam  us  = fattened  goat-heifer  of  fourth  quality. 

cu-qar  gab  — weaned  she-kid. 

cu-qar  ga  = suckling  she-kid. 

cu-qar  ga  ud  — suckling  she-kid,  a day  old  (see  note  on  XIII, 

0,  1). 

ansu  se  = fattened  ass. 
mas-ru  = gazelle. 
amar  mas-ru  ~ young  gazelle. 
siqqa-bar  se  — fattened  antelope. 

1 Read  mds-gal  by  some  of  the  best  and  most  recent  authorities. 

2 Also  read  mds. 

3 Also  read  sal-ds-qar. 


21 


PART  II 

TEXT  OF  THE  TABLETS 

I 


OBVERSE 

1)  I amar  mas-ru(KAK) 

1 young  gazelle 

2)  e(BIT)  se-pag(XU)-ga 
(for  the)  house  (of)  Sepagga 

3)  a-a-kal-la  pa-kabar 

Akalla  (being  the)  “ great  official  ” 

4)  II  amar  mas-ru(KAK)  ba-til(BE) 

2 young  gazelles,  slaughtered, 

5)  e (BIT)  -dub-ba—  su  (KU) 
for  (the)  record-house 

6)  mu-gub  a-da-tum 

on  hand  (in  charge  of)  Adatum 

REVERSE 

1)  ud  II-kam 

(on  the)  second  day 

2)  ki--ab-ba-  sag-ga~ta  ba-zig 
expended  by  Abbasagga 

3)  itu  ses-da-ku 

(in  the)  month  (of)  Sesdaku 

4)  mu  en  duru-ki  ba-tug(KU) 

(in  the)  year  (when  the)  high-priest  (of)  Nannar  was  installed 

EDGE 

III 

3 (young  gazelles) 

Ob v.  5 : e-dub-ba  = house  of  tablets 

22 


TEXT  OF  TABLETS  (II) 

Rev.  2:  Abbasagga.  Tbis  name  is  of  very  frequent  occurrence 
in  the  Drehem  inscriptions,  and  is  found  on  five  tablets  in  this 
collection. 

4:  en(~  lord)  used  thus  seems  best  rendered  High  Priest. 

Edge : A numeral  placed  thus  on  the  edge  generally  represents 
the  total. 

II 

OBVEESE 

1)  X gud  se 

10  fattened  bulls 

2)  II  gud 
2 bulls 

3)  ud  XXI-kam 

(on  the ) twenty-first  day 

4)  ki-- ab-ba-sag-ga— ta 
from  Abbasagga 

5)  ma-su-ga-zu-ku 
Masugazuku  (being) 

KEVEKSE 

1)  ni-ku 
shepherd 

2)  itu  ezen  max 

(in  the)  month  (of  the)  Great  Festival 

3)  mu  en  nunki  ba-tug(KU) 

(in  the)  year  (when  the)  high-priest  (of)  Eridu  was  installed 

EDGE 

XII 

12  (bulls) 

Obv.  1 : gud  se  = “ bull  (or  ox)  of  wheat.”  Compare  the 
English  term  “ corn-fed.” 


23 


SUMERIAN  RECORDS  FROM  DREHEM 


III 

OBVERSE 

1)  I(?)  geme 

1 female  slave 

2)  lu-ur-suki 
(in)  Lursu 

3)  sa-su  us-sa  lugal 

property  belonging  to  (the)  king 

4)  mu-gub 
on  hand 

5)  ki— lugal-si-di~ta 
from  Lugalsidi 

6)  en-dingir-mu 
Endingirmu  (being  in  charge) 

REVERSE 

1)  itu  ezen  ddun-gi- 

(when)  of  the  month  (of  the)  festival  (of)  Dnngi 

2)  -ta  ud  VII  ba-ra-ni 
7 days  were  come 

3)  mu  a-du  II-kam 

(in  the)  year  (when  for  the)  second  time 

4)  gan-xarki  ba-xul 
Ganxar  was  laid  waste 

Obv.  1:  The  numeral  here  is  indistinct;  it  may  possibly  be  X. 

3:  US  = emedu  = to  stand.  Sa  = rakasu  — to  bind.  “Stand- 
ing bound  ” = belonging  to,  etc. 

Rev.  2:  ra  = DU,  common  word  for  motion;  here  = arrive, 
come.  Ni  is  probably  the  suffix  of  3p.  pi.  cp.  MSL.  p.  257. 

IV 

OBVERSE 

1)  CDLXVI  gi§  erne  sa(GAR) 

466  (logs  of)  “ tongue-wood trimmed 

24 


TEXT  OF  TABLETS  (V) 

2)  CCXYI  gis  e(BIT)-da 

216  ( timbers  of)  wood  for  house(s) 

3)  MCCXXIII  gis  ur 
1223  beams 

4)  gis  a-dam-dunki 

(it  is)  wood  (from)  Adamdun 

5)  mu-gub 
on  hand 

REVERSE 

1)  gir  ni-gi 

(the)  overseer  (being)  Nigi 

2)  bar(MAS)-bar(MAS)-ni-min 
Barbarnimin(f) 

3)  su-ba-ti 
has  received 

4)  itu  se-qin-kud 

(in  the)  month  (of)  Seqinkud 

5)  mu  an-sa-anki  ba-xul 

(in  the)  year  (when)  Ansan  was  laid  waste 

Obv.  1 : “ Tongue-wood,”  Lau’s  reading.  SA  or  GAR  = to  cut 
etc. 

2:  da,  prepositional  suffix. 

3:  gis  ur  = literally  “ wood  of  enclosure.” 

1,  2,  & 3:  See  Part  I,  § 5,  Numerals. 

OBVERSE 

V 

1)  I udu  se  II  sil 

1 fattened  sheep  (and)  2 lambs 

2)  dnin-lil 
(for)  Ninlil 
I udu  se  II  sil 

1 fattened  sheep  (and)  2 lambs 

25 


3) 


SUMERIAN  RECORDS  FROM  DREHEM 


4)  den-lil 
(for)  Enlil 

5)  I ganam  dnin-gal(MAL)-ge 
1 ewe  (for)  Ningal(ge) 

6)  I udu  sam(U) 

1 pastured  sheep 

7)  dal-la-gu-la 
(for)  Allagula 

8)  a (ID)  ud  temen-na  kam 

(the)  day’s  allowance  was  brought  in 

9)  I udu  se  I sil 

1 fattened  sheep  (and)  1 lamb 

REVERSE 

1)  dnin-lil 

(for)  Ninlil 

2)  I bir  den-lil 

1 kid  (for)  Enlil 

3)  I udu  se  duru-ki 

1 fattened  sheep  (for)  Nannar 

4)  I ganam  se  dnina 

1 fattened  ewe  (for)  Nina 

5)  I udu  se  dnin-lil 

1 fattened  sheep  (for)  Ninlil 

6)  I udu  se  dpa-ku 

1 fattened  sheep  (for)  Paku 

7)  a (ID)  duk  zig-ga 

(the)  portion  (for  the)  pot  was  expended 

8)  er(A-SI)  sigisse-sigisse  sa(LIB)  en-lilki 
penitential  offerings  in  Nippur 

9)  gir  nin-gal(MAL) 

(the)  overseer  (being)  Ningal 

10)  itu~ta  ud  XVIII  ba-ra-ni 

(when)  18  days  of  (the)  month  were  come 

11)  zig-ga  a (ID)  bil-ni-a 

expended  was  (the)  portion  for  (the)  fire 

26 


TEXT  OF  TABLETS  (VI) 


12)  itu  ezen  me-ki-gal(IK) 

(in  the)  month  (of  the)  festival  (of)  Mekigal 

EDGE 

mu  us-sa  e(BIT)-ku  sa-isi-dda-gan  ba-ru 

(in  the)  year  after  (the)  refectory  Sa-isi-Dagan  was  built 

Obv.  5:  ningalge.  -ge  is  the  genitive  suffix,  attached  here  as  a 
reminiscence  of  the  etymological  derivation  of  the  name  Ningal, 
ie.  Lady-of-the-Palace. 

a ud  temenna.  This  rendering  is  on  Lau’s  authority  (OBTR. 
Sign-List,  p.  11). 

8 : ham.  h-  ’is  probably  the  same  element  as  in  the  genitive 
suffix  -ha,  plus  am(=  is).  (See  LSG.  p.  88.) 

Rev.  7 : This  certainly  refers  to  the  portion  of  a sacrifice  which 
was  cooked  and  eaten. 

8:  er.  The  signs  A-SI  signify  “ water  of  the  eye”  = a tear. 
Hence  the  reading  “ tear-offerings  ” = penitential  offerings. 

10:  See  Note  on  III,  R,  1-2. 

11:  The  reference  evidently  is  to  the  burnt  offering. 

Edge:  This  is  the  date  which  Radau (EBH.  p.  262)  and  Lau 
(OBTR.  p.  If)  render,— mu  us-sa  e(BIT)  ip(IBIRA)  sa  isi-dda-gan 
ba-ru,— and  translate,— “ the  year  after  the  damqar  of  Isi-Dagan 
built  a house  (for  Dungi?).”  But  the  fifth  sign  is  clearly  KU, 
not  IP ; and  ba-ru  is  a passive  form  (see  Part  I,  § 5,  The  Verb) 
e-hu  = house  of  eating  (See  OBTR.  Sign-List,  p.  31). 

VI 

OBVEKSE 

1)  I sil 

1 lamb 

2)  te-te 
brought  in 

3)  mu-gub 
on  hand 


27 


SUMERIAN  RECORDS  FROM  DREHEM 


4)  itu  ezen  me-ki-gal 

{in  the)  month  {of  the)  festival  {of)  Mekigal 

REVERSE 

1)  mu  si-mu-ru-um- 

(m  the)  year  {when)  Simurum 

2)  -ki  sa(U)  lu-lu-bu- 
and  Lulubu 

3)  -ki  a-du  IX-kam 
{the)  ninth  time 

4)  ba-xul 

were  laid  waste 

EDGE 

ud  XVII-kam 

{on  the)  seventeenth  day 

Obv.  2 : TE-TE  = qapu  = deliver,  etc.  {SAI,  5705.) 
Rev.  3:  See  Part  I,  § 5,  Numerals. 

VII 

OBVERSE 

1)  VIII  ku  lum-za  du(GIN) 

8 fine{?)  garments  there  were{?) 

2)  ki-lal-bi  XXXIII  ma-na 
their  value  {was)  33  minas 

3)  V ku  us-bar 

5 woven  garments 

4)  ki-lal-bi  XIII  sussana  ma-na 
their  value  13  1/3  minas 

5)  I ku  muqqu 

1 inferior  garment 

REVERSE 

1)  ki-lal-bi  III  ma-na  X gin(TU) 
its  value  3 minas  {and)  10  shekels 


TEXT  OF  TABLETS  (VIII) 


2)  ki-- a(ID)-na-na--ta 
from  Anana 

3)  mu-gub 
on  hand 

4)  itu  mas-ru-ku 

(in  the)  month  (of)  Masruku 

5)  mu  ur-bi-lumki  ba-xul 

(in  the)  year  (when)  Urhilum  was  laid  waste 

Obv.  1 : lum~za  — plenty-of- jewels.  DU  = min  = to  be 
3:  Literally  “garments  of  the  weaver.” 

VIII 

OBVERSE 

1)  I uz  a-sig 

1 goat  with  wool 

2)  I bir  ga  a-sig 

1 suckling  kid  with  wool 

3)  I cu-qar  ga  ma-gan 

1 suckling  she-kid  (of)  Maqan 

4)  ba-til(BE) 
slaughtered ; 

5)  ud  VUI-kam 

(on  the)  eighth  day 

REVERSE 

1)  ki— a-xu-ni— ta 
from  Axuni 

2)  ur-nigin-gar 
Urnigingar 

3)  su-ba-ti 
has  received 

4)  itu  ezen  an-na 

(in  the)  month  (of  the)  festival  (of)  Anna 

mu  ur-bi-lum- 

(in  the)  year  (when)  Urhilum 

29 


5) 


SUMERIAN  RECORDS  FROM  DREHEM 


6)  -ki  ba-xul 

was  laid  waste 

Obv.  1:  uz  or  gaz  is  undoubtedly  a Semitic  loan-word:  com- 
pare Assyrian  enzu,  Hebrew  1J7,  Arabic  ‘anzun 
a - is  an  abstract  prefix.  So  uz  a-sig  — literally,  “ goat  of 
woolliness.” 

IX 

OBVERSE 

1)  CLXV  udu-xul 

145  sheep  of  fine  quality 

2)  XIII  udu-xul  nigin-ru(KAK) 

13  sheep  of  fine  quality,  in  perfect  condition 

3)  CXX  bir-gal 
120  he  goats 

4)  LX  sil  udu-xul 

60  lambs  (of)  sheep  of  fine  quality 

5)  nam-sid-ak  kurmar-tu 

(at  the)  establishment  of  (the)  western  priesthood 

6)  gir  xu-uku-xa-ab-ma 

(the)  overseer  (being)  Xukuxabma 

7)  LX  sil  ci-lu-us-dda-gan 
60  lambs  (of)  Cilus-Dagan 

REVERSE 

1)  CXX  sil  en-dnina 

120  lambs  (of)  En-Nina 

2)  CXX  sil  ses-da-da  §id 

120  lambs  (of)  Sesdada  (the)  priest 

3)  LX  sil  lu-pal-sag-ga 

60  lambs  (of)  Lupalsagga 

4)  LX  sil  lu-sag-ga 

60  lambs  (of)  Lusagga 


30 


TEXT  OF  TABLETS  (X) 


5)  LX  amar  mas-ru(KAK)  id-de-ru 
60  young  gazelles  (of)  Idderu 

6)  inu-gub  itu  se-qin-kud 

on  hand  (in  the)  month  (of)  Seqinkud 

7)  mu  ki-mas(BAR)ki  sa(U)  xu-mur-tiki  ba-xul 

(in  the)  year  (when)  Kimas  and  Xumurti  were  laid  waste 

EDGE 

ud  VH-kam 
(on  the)  seventh  day 

Obv.  1 : udu-xul.  xul  = Ass.  xidutu  = joy,  etc.  This  phrase 
naturally  suggests  our  own  idea,  de  luxe,  i.  e.  fine  quality. 

2:  nigin-ru.  m^m(GURUN)  = primarily  enclosure — hence,  full- 
ness, plenty,  etc.  (MSL.  pp.  168,  258,  etc.)  m(KAK)  = build, 
make,  produce,  etc.  (MSL.  p.  277,  etc.)  The  combination 
seems  to  mean  ‘ making  complete/ 

5:  nam,  an  abstract  prefix,  sid  — priest.  Hence  nam-sid 
~ priesthood,  ah  = make,  establish,  etc.  kUTmartu  seems  at 
this  time  to  refer  in  a general  way  to  the  western  lands.  Later 
it  denotes  more  specifically  Palestine  (see  Vanderburgh,  in  JBL. 
1918.) 

X 

OBVERSE 

1)  I sil 

1 lamb 

2)  dnina 
(for)  Nina 

3)  I sil  dnin-lil 

1 lamb  (for)  Nin-lil 

4)  I sil  den-lil 

1 lamb  (for)  En-lil 

5)  a-du  I-kam 
(the)  first  time 

6)  I sil  dnina 

1 lamb  (for)  Nina 


31 


SUMERIAN  RECORDS  FROM  DREHEM 


7)  I sil  dnin-lil 

1 lamb  (for)  Nin-lil 

8)  a-du  II-kam 
(the)  second  time 

REVERSE 

1)  I udu  se  sigisse-sigisse  dnina 

1 fattened  sheep,  offerings  (for)  Nina 

2)  a-du  III-kam 
(the)  third  time 

3)  sa(LIB)  en-lilki 
in  Nippur 

4)  I ganam  II  cu-qar 

1 ewe  (and)  2 goat-heifers 

5)  sigisse-sigisse  ud-sar  sa(LIB)  urugki-ga 
offerings  (at  the)  new  moon  in  Erech 

6)  IV  cu-qar  e(BIT)  dtil-la-ad-dar  nir 

4 goat-heifers  (for  the)  house  (of)  Tilladdar  (the)  prince 

7)  xar  dtil-la-ad-dar-ra  ba-an-ku 

(when  the)  decree  (of)  Tilladdar  commanded  it 

8)  sa(LIB)  uru-abki-ma 
in  Ur 

9)  gir  i-de-gal-ur-ra 

(the)  overseer  (being)  Idegalurra 

10)  itu~ta  ud  XXX-ba-ra-ni 

(when)  of  (the)  month  30  days  were  come 

11)  zig-ga  ur-dlu-se-ka(DUG) 
expended  (by)  Ur-Luseka 

12)  itu  se-qin-kud 

(in  the)  month  (of)  Seqinkud 

EDGE 

mu  ki-mas(BAR)ki  ba-xul 

(in  the)  year  (when)  Kimas  was  laid  waste 

Obv.  5 & 8,  & Rev.  2 : The  references  to  “ first  time,”  “ second 

32 


TEXT  OF  TABLETS  (XI) 


time,”  etc.  on  this  tablet  apparently  have  to  do  with  successive 
offerings. 

Rev.  10:  See  Note  on  IV,  R,  2. 

XI 

OBVERSE 

1)  IVudu 

4 sheep 

2)  mu--e-a-ni— ta-su(KU) 
for  his  house 

3)  na-ra-am-NI-NI  pa-kabar(RIM) 

Naram-ilani  ( being  the)  great-official 

4)  ki--a-xu-ni--ta 
from  Axuni 

5)  lugal-ner-gal  sukkal  ni-ku 
Lugal-nergal  (Joeing)  messenger-shepherd 

REVERSE 

1)  itu  ud  XVIII-ba-ni 

(on  the)  eighteenth  day  of  (the)  month 

2)  itu  ezen  dnin-a-su 

(in  the)  month  (of  the)  festival  (of)  Ninasu 

3)  mu  ki-mas(BAR)ki  sa(U) 

(in  the)  year  (when)  Kimas  and 

4)  xu-mur-tiki  ba-xul 
Xumurti  were  laid  waste 

Obv.  2:  mu su.  mu  = sumu  = name.  Hence  this  line 

= literally,  “ for  the  name  of  his  house  ” = “ intended  for  his 
house.” 

ta-su,  double  preposition. 

3:  NI-NI  = plural  of  dingir.  Hence  naram-ilani  (“  Beloved- 
of-the-gods  ”),  a purely  Semitic  name,  seems  the  correct  reading 
here. 

Rev.  1:  Literally  “month  day  XVIII-its-in.”  (See  Br.  5335.) 

4 33 


SUMERIAN  RECORDS  FROM  DREHEM 


XII 

OBVERSE 

1)  I udu  gud-e  us-sa 
1 stall-fed  sheep 

2)  gi-ra-lum  dnina 

slaughtered  (as  an)  entire  (offering  for)  Nina 

3)  I gud  §e  III  udu  se 

1 fattened  ox  {and)  3 fattened  sheep 

4)  dnina 
{for)  Nina 

5)  I udu  se 

1 fattened  sheep 

6)  dna-na-a 
{for)  Nana 

7)  I udu  gud-e  us-sa 

1 stall-fed  sheep 

REVERSE 

1)  e(BIT)-kal  dsig 

( for  the)  temple  (of)  Sig 

2)  II  udu  u(SAM) 

2 pastured  sheep 

3)  id  ma  II-a-ba--su(KU) 
allowance  for  his  two  ships 

4)  zig-ga  ma  an-na 

expended  {for  the)  ship  {of)  Anna 

5)  sa(LIB)  uru(k)ki-ga 
in  Erech 

6)  ki— kalam  (UN)  — gan-na-gi— ta 
from  {the)  people  {of)  Gannagi 

7)  gir  a-xu-pi-qar 

{the)  overseer  (being)  Axupiqar 

8)  itu  ezen  me-ki-gal  ud  XXV-ba-ra-ni 

{when)  25  days  {of  the)  month  {of  the)  festival  (of)  Mekigal  were 


come 


34 


TEXT  OF  TABLETS  (XIII) 


9)  mu  us-sa  ki-maski  sa(U)  [Xu]mur-tiki  ba-xul 

(in  the)  year  after  Kimas  and  [Xu]murti  were  laid  waste 


Obv.  1:  gud-e  us-sa: — Literally,  “the  cattle  ( gud-e ),  standing 
(us),  bound  (sa).”  Evidently  these  were  stall-fed  sheep. 

2:  gi-ra  = daku  (SAI.  1614)—  slaughter,  lum  = plenteousness. 
3 : These  “ ships  ” are  the  sacred  arks  used  in  the  religious 
ceremonies,  similar  to  the  ancient  Egyptian  sacred  boats. 

Rev.  4 : The  dingir(AN)-sign  is  regularly  omitted  before  the  name 
Anna,  to  avoid  repetition  of  the  AN. 

7 : A-xu-pi-qar.  The  third  syllable  in  this  name  is  secured  by 
comparison  with  other  tablets. 

8:  See  Note  on  IV,  R,  2. 


XIII 

OBVERSE 


1)  I cu-qar  ga  ud 

1 suckling  she-kid  (a)  day  (old) 

2)  sa(LIB)  pi-dal-tum 
in  Pidaltum 

3)  I ab 
1 cow 

4)  V udu 
5 sheep 

5)  I ?-? 

1 f f 

6)  I uz 

1 goat 

7)  V sil 

5 lambs 

8)  I sal-sil 

1 she-lamb 


SUMERIAN  RECORDS  FROM  DREHEM 


REVERSE 

1)  I sil  ga 

1 suckling  lamb 

2)  I sal-sil  ga 

1 suckling  she-lamb 

3)  ba-til(BE)  ud  IV-kam 
slaughtered;  ( on  the)  fourth  day 

4)  ki--ddun-gi-a-a-mu— ta 
from  Dungi-amu 

5)  ur-nigin-gar 
Urnigingar 

6)  su-ba-ti 
has  received 

7)  itu  ma  s-ru-ku 

(in  the)  month  (of)  Masruku 

8)  mu  us-sa  damar-den-zu  lugal 

(in  the)  year  after  (the)  divine  Bur-Sin  (became)  king 

Ob v.  1:  This  line  runs  literally:  “1  young-she-goat(cu-qar) 
(of)  milk  (of  a)  day.” 

5:  Very  indistinct. 

XIV 

OBVERSE 

1)  I sil  en-dnina 

1 lamb  (of)  En-Nina 

2)  IV  udu  I bir 
4 sheep , 1 kid 

3)  ip-sa-xa-ni  lu-kabar(RIM) 

(of)  Ipsaxani  (the)  high  official 

4)  II  sil  pa-te-si  en-lilki 

2 lambs  (of  the)  governor  (of)  Nippur 

5)  I sil  id-da-a 
1 lamb  (of)  Idda 

I sil  i-sar-ba-lig(KAL)-gin(DU)-gab(a) 

1 lamb  (of)  Isarbaliggingab 

36 


6) 


TEXT  OF  TABLETS  (XIV) 


7)  I sil  .pa-te-si  sid-tabki 

1 lamb  (of  the)  governor  (of)  Sidtab 

8)  I sil  su-ga-ga-nu-i? 

1 lamb  (of)  Sugaganui(f) 

REVERSE 

1)  I sil  ma-lux  qa-su-gab 

1 lamb  (of)  Malux  (the)  grain-measurer 

2)  IV  udu  se  I sil  mal(GAL)-gi 

4 fattened  sheep,  (and)  1 lamb  (of)  Malgi 

3)  ud  XXIII-kam 

(on  the)  twenty-third  day 

4)  mu-gub  lugal 

on  hand,  royal  property, 

5)  ab-ba-sag-ga  ni-ku 
Abbasagga  (being)  shepherd 

6)  itu  ki-sig  dnin-a-su 

(in  the)  month  (of)  Kisig  Ninasu 

7)  mu  damar-den-zu 

(in  the)  year  (when  the)  divine  Bur-Sin, 

8)  lugal-e  ur-bi-lumki 

the  king,  (the  city  of)  TJrbilum 

9)  mu-xul 
laid  waste 

EDGE 

XVIII 

18  (sheep,  etc.) 

Obv.  3:  ip-sa-xa-ni  might  also  be  read  “(The)  ibira  Saxani,77 
etc. 

Rev.  I:  qa-su-gab  = literally,  the  one  whose  hand(SU)  presents 
(GAB)  the  measure(QA). 

Rev.  4-5:  Another  possible  rendering  for  these  lines  is:  “On 
hand;  Lugal-abbasagga  being  shepherd.'7  See  XXVIII.  O,  4=6. 
Rev.  8:  Lugal-e,  status  rectus.  See  LSG.  pp.  62  ff. 

37 


SUMERIAN  RECORDS  FROM  DREHEM 


XV 

OBVERSE 

1)  XXX  udu  se 
30  fattened  sheep 

2)  sa-dug  a-bil(NE)-zi-im-ti 

{the)  regular  offering  {of)  Ahilzimti 

3)  itu  I-kam 

{on  the)  first  {day  of  the)  month 

4)  gir-dlux  pa-kabar 

Gir-Lux  {being  the)  “ great  official  ” 

REVERSE 

1)  ki— ddun-gi-a-a-mu— ta 
by  Dungi-dmu 

2)  ba-zig 

were  delivered 

3)  itu  ezen  dnin-a-su 

{in  the)  month  {of  the)  festival  {of)  Ninasu 

4)  mu  damar-  den-zu 

{in  the)  year  {when  the)  divine  Bur-Sin, 

5)  lugai-e  ur-bi- 
the  king,  Urbi- 

6)  lumki  rnu-xul 
lum  laid  waste 

EDGE 

XXX 
30  {sheep) 

Obv.  2:  Abilzimti,  a purely  Semitic  name. 
Rev.  5:  See  Note  on  XII,  R,  8. 

XVI 

OBVERSE 

1)  I sil  se 

1 fattened  lamb 


38 


TEXT  OF  TABLETS  (XVI) 


2)  II  cu-qar  se 

2 fattened  goat-heifers 

3)  I udu 

1 sheep 

4)  VII  udu  a-lum 
7 pregnant  sheep 

5)  III  udu  a-lum  nigin-ru(KAK) 

3 pregnant  sheep,  in  perfect  condition^) 

6)  X udu-xul  II  udu-xul  nigin-ru(KAK) 

10  sheep  of  fine  quality,  {and)  2 sheep  of  fine  quality,  in  perfect 
condition {?) 

REVERSE 

1)  II  ganam-xul  I ganam-xul  (nigin-ru?) 

2 ewes  of  fine  quality,  {and)  1 ewe  of  fine  quality  {in  perfect 
condition ?) 

2)  [III]  bir 
[3]  kids 

3)  ud  XXIII-kam 

{on  the)  twenty-third  day 

4)  ki— ab-ba-sag-ga~ta 
from  Abbasagga 

5)  na-lul  ni-ku 

Nalul  {being  the)  shepherd 

6)  itu  a-ki-ti 

{in  the)  month  {of)  Akiti 

7)  mu  damar-den-zu  lugal 

{in  the)  year  {when  the)  divine  Bur-Sin,  {the)  king, 

8)  ur-bi-lumki 
Urbilum 

9)  mu-xul 
laid  waste 

EDGE 

XXXII 
32  {sheep,  etc.) 

Obv.  4:  a-lum  = fruitfulness.  A;  prefix  denoting  the  abstract 

39 


SUMERIAN  RECORDS  FROM  DREHEM 


idea;  LUM  signifying  fruit,  plenty,  etc.  So  udu  alum  = fruit- 
ful sheep. 

5 & 6:  nigin-ru,  See  Note  on  XV,  O,  2. 

XVII 

OBVERSE 

1)  I udu  se 

1 fattened  sheep 

2)  den-lil  dnin-lil 

(for)  Enlil  (and)  Ninlil 

3)  I udu  se  duru-ki 

1 fattened  sheep  (for)  Nannar 

4)  a(ID)  gig(MI)  ba-a 

(a)  night’s  allowance  given 

5)  lugal-tur-ra 
(by)  Lugalturra 

6)  III  udu  se  I bir-gal  se 

3 fattened  sheep  (and)  1 fattened  he-goat 

7)  den-lil  dnin-lil 

(for)  Enlil  (and)  Ninlil 

8)  I bir-gal  se  duru-ki 

1 fattened  he-goat  (for)  Nannar 

9)  a (ID)  ud  temen-na 

(a)  day’s  allowance  brought  in 

10)  gir  a-tur  qa-su-gab 

(the)  overseer  (being)  Atur  (the)  grain-measurer 

11)  II  udu  se 

2 fattened  sheep 

REVERSE 

1)  dnina  urukki--su 
(for)  Nina  (of)  Erech 

2)  gir  a-xu-ni  qa-su-gab 
(the)  overseer  (being)  Axuni  (the)  grain-measurer 
I udu  se  I bir-gal 
1 fattened  sheep  (and)  1 he-goat 

40 


3) 


TEXT  OF  TABLETS  (XVIII) 


4)  dun-mal-a  ad-lu-zi-da-ax-riki 
(for  the)  steward  (of)  Adluzidaxri 

5)  gir  su-ddun-gi-(?) 

(the)  overseer  (being)  Gimil-Dungi(f— f) 

6)  eri-mu  pa-kabar 

Erimu  (being  the)  great  official 

7)  itu  ud  II-ba-ni 

(on  the)  second  day  (of  the)  month 

8)  sa(LIB)  tum-ma-al 
in  Tummal 

9)  ki--en-dingir-mu--ta 
by  Endingirmu 

10)  ba-zig 

was  expended 

11)  itu  su-es-sa 

(in  the)  month  (of)  Suessa 

12)  mu  xu-uxu-nu-riki  ba-xul 

(in  the)  year  (when)  Xuxunuri  was  laid  waste 

EDGE 

XI 

11  (sheep,  etc.) 

Obv.  4:  ba-a  = qasu  = present,  give,  etc. 

9:  This  rendering  is  on  Lau’s  authority.  (See  OBTR.  Sign- 
List,  p.  11.) 

10:  qa-su-gab.  See  Note  on  XIV,  R,  1. 

Rev.  4:  dun  = great  one,  leader,  etc.  (MSL.  p.  90)  mal( GAL)  = 
house.  Hence  the  reading  “ steward  ” — compare  major  domus. 
7:  See  Note  on  XI,  R,  1. 

XVIII 

OBVERSE 

1)  I.  CXX  se.  gur.  lugal 

1 gur  (and)  120  (qa)  finest  wheat 

2)  sa-dug  (K  A)  --  su  (KU) 
for  (the)  regular  offering 


41 


SUMERIAN  RECORDS  FROM  DREHEM 


3)  ki— su-u-dar— ta 
from  Sudar 

4)  ne-ka-ni-mur 
Nekanimur 

REVERSE 

1)  su-ba-ti 
has  received 

2)  dub  nin-ka-gi-na 

(per)  tablet  (of)  Ninkagina 

3)  ib-ra 
(the)  ibra 

4)  se-da-ra  dub-ba 

of  (the)  wheat , delivery  was  made 

5)  gir  ur-dnin-gis-zid-da  ma-du-du 

(the)  overseer  (being)  Ur-Ningiszidda  (the)  skipper 

6)  itu  ses-da-ku 

(in  the)  month  (of)  Sesdaku 

7)  mu  en  nunki  ba-tug(KU) 

(in  the)  year  (when  the)  high-priest  (of)  Eridu  was  installed 

Obv.  1:  The  first  numeral  is  read  with  the  GUR  at  the  end  of 
the  line,  while  the  second  numeral  is  read  with  QA  understood 
before  SE.  When  a numeral  occurs  before  SE(  = wheat),  the 
measure  is  often  omitted — just  as  in  bills  etc.  to-day  “3  1/2 
sugar  ” is  naturally  taken  as  referring  to  “ pounds.”  (See 
Pi  rt  I,  § 5,  Numerals.) 

Rev.  4:  sedara.  da-ra,  double  postposition.  Literally,  “ as 
to  the  wheat,  of  it  (ie,  the  wheat)  was  delivery  made.”  dub-ba, 
vb.  dub  with  phonetic  complement. 

XIX 

OBVERSE 

1)  X gud  se 

10  fattened  oxen 

2)  XVI  udu  §e 

16  fattened  sheep 


42 


TEXT  OF  TABLETS  (XIX) 


3)  IV  udu  se  gud-e  us-sa 

4 fattened  sheep , stalled  cattle 

4)  X bir  gal  se 

10  fattened  he-goats 

5)  LXX  udu 
70  sheep 

6)  XX  bir  gal 
20  he-goats 

7)  bi(GAS)-de-a 

(in  charge  of)  Bidea 

REVERSE 

1)  gir  den-lil-zi- sag-gal 

(the)  overseer  (being)  Enlil-zisaggal 

2)  mu-gub  a-bil-zi-im-ti 
on  hand  (for)  Abilzimti 

3)  ki--ur-dgal-alim-gi  s-nin— ta 
from  Ur-Galalim-gisnin 

4)  ud  IX-kam 

(on  the)  ninth  day 

5)  mu-gub 
on  hand 

6)  ab-ba-sag-ga  ni-ku 
Abbasagga  (being)  shepherd 

7)  itu  ezen  max 

(in  the)  month  (of  the)  Great  Festival 

8)  mu  en  nunki  ba-tug(KU) 

(in  the)  year  (when  the)  lord  (of)  Eridu  was  installed 

EDGE 

cxxx 

130  (cattle) 

Obv.  3:  See  Note  on  XXVIII,  O,  1. 

Rev.  2:  The  name  here  is  very  indistinct;  but  is  read  by  com- 
parison with  XVII,  O,  2. 

Rev.  4:  See  Part  I,  §5,  Numerals. 

43 


SUMERIAN  RECORDS  FROM  DREHEM 


XX 

OBVERSE 

1)  II  udu  se 

2 fattened  sheep 

2)  a-du  I-karn 
(the)  first  time ; 

3)  I udu  se  a-du  1 1 -karri 

1 fattened  sheep,  (the)  second  time; 

4)  I udu  se  a-du  III-kam 

1 fattened  sheep,  (the)  third  time ; 

5)  ^gu-za  damar-den-zu 

(for  the)  throne  (of  the)  divine  Bur-8in 

6)  ur-dba-u  mu-pa-kabar(RIM) 

Ur-Bau  (being)  “ great  official  ” (for  the)  year 

REVERSE 

1)  itu  ud  IX-ba-ni 

(on  the)  ninth  day  of  the  month 

2)  ki— zu-ba-ga— ta 
from  Zubaga 

3)  ba-zig 

(they)  were  expended 

4)  gir  ad-da-kal-la  dub-sar 

(the)  overseer  (being)  Addakalla  (the)  scribe 

5)  itu  ses-da-kir 

(in  the)  month  (of)  Sesdaku 

6)  mu  en  duru-ki- 

(in  the)  year  (when  the)  high  priest  (of)  Nannar- 

7)  qar-zi-da  ba-tug(KU) 

-Qarzida  was  installed 

EDGE 

IV  udu 

(total)  4 sheep 

Obv.  2:  See  Note  on  XIII. 

5 : Probably  palace  tribute. 


44 


TEXT  OF  TABLETS  (XXI) 


6:  This  Ur-Bau  was  a son  of  Bur-Sin  f EBH . p.  274) 
Rev.  1 : See  Part  I,  § 5,  Numerals. 

XXI 

OBVERSE 

1)  I gud  se  Ill-kam  us 

1 fattened  ox,  third  quality 

2)  II  udu  se  sig  us 

2 fattened  sheep,  good  quality 

3)  II  udu-xul  II  sil 

2 superior  sheep  (and)  2 lambs 

4)  den-lil  dnin-lil 

(for)  Enlil  (and)  Ninlil 

5)  I sil  duru-ki 

1 lamb  (for)  Nannar 

6)  I sil  dnin~lil 

1 lamb  (for)  Ninlil 

7)  den-lil-zi~sa(g)-gal(IK)  pa-kabar 
Enlil-zisagal  (being  the)  “ great  official  ” 

REVERSE 

1)  sa(LIB)— mu-du-ra— ta 
in  Mudura 

2)  ud  X-kam 

(on  the)  tenth  day 

3)  ki--in-ta~e(UD-DU)“a— ta 
by  Intaea 

4)  ba-zig 

were  expended 

5)  gir  nu-ur-den-zu  dub-sar 

(the)  overseer  (being)  Nur-Enzu  (the)  scribe 

6)  itu  su-es-sa 

(in  the)  month  (of)  Suessa 


45 


SUMERIAN  RECORDS  FROM  DREHEM 


7)  mu  ma  dara-zu-ab  ba-ab-gab 

{in  the ) year  {when  the)  ship  Dara-zuab  (=  Antelope-of-the- 
Deep)  was  launched 


EDGE 

I gud  VIII  udu 
( Total)  1 ox  {and)  8 sheep 

Obv.  2:  sig  = damiqtu  = sweet,  purified 
3:  udu-xul:  See  Note  on  X,  0,  1. 

Rev.  1 : sa  . . . . ta : Prefix  and  suffix.  See  Part  I,  § 5,  Preposi- 
tions etc. 


XXII 

OBVERSE 

1)  I.  CCXL  se.gur 

1 gur  {and)  240  {qa  of)  wheat 

2)  id  (A)  ma-su(KU)  mal 
it  is  rent  for  {a)  ship 

3)  sag-da-na  TA-RA(?) 

{the)  entire  sum  ? . . . ? 

4)  ddun-gi-xe-gal-ki--su 
for  Dungi-xegalki 

5)  pa-al  u(SA)-a 
{the)  elderly  seer 

REVERSE 

1)  u (§A)-na-a-ka~-ta 
from  XJnaka 

2)  mu  si-ma-lumki  ba-xul 

{in  the)  year  {when)  Simalum  was  laid  waste 

Obv.  1:  See  Note  on  XVIII  I.  O.  I. 

2:  ID  (A)  = allowance,  portion,  rent,  etc.  MA  = ship.  MAL 
= existence,  hence  = “is” 


46 


TEXT  OF  TABLETS  (XXIII) 


3:  SAG  = head,  chief,  etc.  DA  = in.  NA  = its.  (See  Part 
I,  § 5,  Pronouns.) 


XXIII 

OBVERSE 

1)  I cu-qar  se 

1 fattened  goat-heifer 

2)  mu--nin--su 
for  (the)  lady 

3)  ki--mal-ni-den-zu--ta 
from  Malni-Enzu(Sin) 

4)  en-nam-ddun-gi 
Ennam-Dungi  ( being  the) 

5)  [ni]-ku 
shepherd 


REVERSE 


1)  [ud]  V-kam 

(on  the)  fifth  [day] 

2)  itu  mas-ru-ku 

(in  the)  month  (of)  Masruku 

3)  mu  us-sa  si-ma- 

(in  the)  year  after  Sima- 

4)  -lumki  ba-xul 
-lum  was  laid  waste 

SEAL 

1)  dsu-den-zu 
divine  Gimil-Sin 

2)  lugal  lig(KAL)-ga 
mighty  king 

3)  lugal  uru-abki-ma 
king  of  Ur 

lugal  an-ub-da  tab-tab-ba 
king  of  (the)  Four  Regions 
47 


4) 


SUMERIAN  RECORDS  FROM  DREHEM 


5)  en-d 
En- 

6)  -dun-gi 
-Dungi 

7)  [dup-sar?] 

[(the)  scribe] 

8)  du  xe (GAN) -sag 
son  (of)  Xesag 

9)  nita 

(the)  servant 

Obv.  2:  nin  ( = lady)  must  here  refer  to  a priestess. 

XXIV 

OBVERSE 

1)  I gud  se  sig 

1 fattened  bull  of  fine  quality, 

2)  ba-dug(KA) 
promised 

3)  mu-gub  xum—  su 

for  breeding  purposes  this  year, 

4)  itu  ud  XXX-ba-ni 

(on  the)  thirtieth  day  of  (the)  month 

REVERSE 

1)  ki— (?)-ni-ni-ni--ta 

by  (f)ninini 

2)  ba-zig 

was  delivered 

3)  itu  ezen  me-ki-gal 

(in  the)  month  (of  the)  festival  (of)  Mekigal 

4)  mu  bad  mar-tu  ba-ru(KAK) 

(in  the)  year  (when  the)  western  wall  was  built 

48 


TEXT  OF  TABLETS  (XXV) 


SEAL 

(The  seal  is  only  partly  legible;  but  is  evidently  identical  with 
that  which  appears  on  XXIX,  q.  v.) 

Obv.  2:  dug  = qabu  ( Br . 531 ) = speak,  etc.  ( M-A . p.  902.) 

3:  mu-gub.  mu  = year  ( OBTR . p.  3 of  Sign  List),  gub  = stand, 
etc.  ( MSL . p.  157). 

xum  (or  lum)  = fructification,  fruit,  growth,  etc.  (MSL.  p.  181). 


XXV 


OBVEKSE 


1)  [ ] gud  se  sig 

*****  fattened  oxen , fine  quality 

2)  [ ] gud  se  sig  us 

*****  fattened  oxen,  good  quality 

3)  VII  gud  se  III-kam  us 

7 fattened  oxen,  third  quality 

4)  III  gud  se  IV-kam  us 

3 fattened  oxen,  fourth  quality 

5)  XXXV  gud  se 
35  fattened  oxen 

6)  XVII  gud  u(SAM) 

17  pastured  oxen 

7)  [ ] gud  mu  III 

*****  oxen  three  years  old 

8)  [ gu]d  amar  ga 
*****  suckling  bull-calves 

9)  [ ] ab  u(SAM) 


10)  [ 

* * 

11)  [ 

* * 

12)  [ 

* * 


* * * pastured  cows 

] ab  mu  II 

* * * cows  two  years  old 

] ab  amar  ga 

* * * suckling  cow-calves 

] udu  se  sig 

* * * fattened  sheep , fine  quality 


49 


5 


SUMERIAN  RECORDS  FROM  DREHEM 


13)  [ ga]nam  se  sig 

*****  fattened  ewes,  fine  quality 

14)  [ bir]-gal  se  sig 

* * * fattened  he-goats,  fine  quality 

15)  [ cu]-qar  se  sig 

* * * fattened  goat-heifers,  fine  quality 

16)  [ udu  or  ganam  se]  sig  us 

[*  * * sheep  or  ewes]  fattened,  good  quality 

Column  II 

1)  V bir-gal  se  sig  us 

5 fattened  he-goats,  good  quality 

2)  II  cu-qar  se  sig  us 

2 fattened  goat-heifers,  good  quality 

3)  XXIII  udu  se  III-kam  us 

23  fattened  sheep,  third  quality 

4)  XII  bir-gal  se  III-kam  us 

12  fattened  he-goats,  third  quality 

5)  I(?)  cu-qar  se  III-kam  us 

1 (?)  fattened  goat-heifer,  third  quality 

6)  XC  udu  se  IV-kam  u§ 

90  fattened  sheep,  fourth  quality 

7)  IX  bir-gal  se  IV-kam  us 

9 fattened  he-goats,  fourth  quality 

8)  V cu-qar  se  IV-kam  us 

5 fattened  goat-heifers,  fourth  quality 

9)  CLVII  udu  se 
157  fattened  sheep 

10)  X ganam  se 

10  fattened  ewes 

11)  LI  1 1 bir-gal  se 

53  fattened  he-goats 

12)  CCIV  udu  se  gud-e  us-sa 
204  fattened  sheep,  stall-fed 


50 


TEXT  OF  feTABLETS  (XXV) 


13)  XXXVI  bir-gal  se  gud-e  us-sa 
36  fattened  he-qoats,  stall-fed 

14)  XXIV  sil  se 

24  fattened  lambs 

15)  VII  sal-sil  se 

7 fattened  she-lambs 

(reverse)  Column  III 

1)  IV  bir  se 

4 fattened  kids 

2)  XXVI  cu-qar  se 

26  fattened  goat-heifers 

3)  CCCXIX  udu  u(SAM) 

319  pastured  sheep 

4)  LXIV  bir-gal  u(SAM) 

64  pastured  he-goats 

5)  XCVIII  ganam  u(gAM) 

98  pastured  ewes 

6)  LXVIuzu(SAM) 

66  pastured  goats 

7)  XXXIII  sil  gab 
33  weaned  lambs 

8)  XXVII  sal-sil  gab 

27  weaned  she-lambs 

9)  VII  bir  gab 

7 weaned  kids 

10)  XIII  cu-qar  gab 
13  weaned  she-kids 

11)  VIII  sil  ga 

8 suckling  lambs 

12)  III  sal-sil  ga 

3 suckling  she-lambs 

Column  IV 

1)  [ ]LVII  gud 

* * *57  oxen 


51 


SUMERIAN  RECORDS  FROM  DREHEM 


2)  [ ]MCCCLX(?)  udu 

* * 1360  (?)  sheep 

3)  [ ] la  a 

* * * * f f 

4)  [ki-]  -den-lil~zi-  sa  (LI  B ) -gal  ( I K)  --t  a 
from  Enlil-zisagal 

5)  [a?]-xu-pi-ir  ni-ku 
[Af]xupir  (being  the)  shepherd 

6)  [itu]  mas-ru-ku  ba-ni 

in  ( the  [month]  of)  Masruku 

7)  [mu]  us-sa  dsu-den- 

[in  the  year]  after  (the)  divine  Gimil-Sin , 

8)  [-zu]  lugal  um-abki-ma-ge 
(the)  king  of  Ur, 

9)  [b]ad  mar-tu  mu- 

(the)  western  [wall],  Mu - 

10)  [ri]-iq-ti-id- 
[r]iq-tid- 

11)  [ni]-im  mu-ru 
[n]im,  built 

Col.  IV.  7-11 : “ In  the  year  after  the  divine  Gimil-Sin,  the  king 
of  Ur,  built  the  western  wall,  Muriq-tidnim.”  See  Thureau- 
Dangin:  Rec.  Trav . XIX,  p.  186,  and  F.  A.  Vanderburgh,  JBL, 
1913. 

In  connection  with  this  tablet  see  special  note  on  classification 
of  animals,  Part  I,  § 10. 

XXVI 

OBVERSE 

1)  MD  se  gun  (TIG) 

1500  gun  (of)  wheat 

2)  gi-zi(g) 
exact  measure 

3)  id  ud  itu  mu  sa(g)-ci 

portions  (for)  daily,  monthly  (and)  yearly  free-will  offerings 

52 


TEXT  OF  TABLETS  (XXVII) 


4)  J sa-gal  udu-se--su(KU) 

food  for  fattened  sheep 

5)  ki--sukkal-max--ta 
from  (the)  chief  messenger 

6)  mu-gub 
on  hand 

REVERSE 

1)  nu-ur-dim 
Nur-Im 

2)  su-ba-ti 
has  received 

3)  gir  lu-ka-ni 

(the)  overseer  (being)  Lukani 

4)  itu  mas-ru-ku 

(in  the)  month  (of)  Masruku 

5)  mu  en  dnina  urukki- 

(in  the)  year  (when  the)  high-priest  (of)  Nina  of  Erech 

6)  -ga  bir-e  ni-pad 

uttered  the  decision  (oracle) 

Rev.  6:  ga,  genitive  suffix,  bir  (also  read  mas)  — decision 
(OBTR.  p.  4,  lines  7-8  and  p.  17  of  Sign-List)  = oracle  (LSG. 
p.  150,  line  5).  -e,  status  rectus,  pad  = tamu  = to  speak,  etc. 

XXVII 

OBVERSE 

1)  III  udu  u(SAM) 

3 pastured  sheep 

2)  su-pu  e(BIT)-mu 

collected  (at  the)  public  kitchen 

3)  mu--ku-u  s-e-ne— su 
intended  for  (the)  officers 

4)  eri-mu  pa-kabar 

Erimu  (being  the)  great  official 

5)  III  udu 
3 sheep 


53 


SUMERIAN  RECORDS  FROM  DREHEM 


6)  zig-ga  lugal 
expended  ( for  the)  king 

7)  IV  ganam  u(SAM) 

4 pastured  ewes 

8)  I bir-gal  u(SAM) 

1 pastured  he-goat 

9)  I uz  u(SAM) 

1 pastured  goat 

10)  I sil  gab 

1 weaned  lamb 

11)  ba-til(BE) 
slaughtered 

REVERSE 

1)  VII  udu 


2)  ddun-gi-uru-mu 
Dungi-urumu 

3)  su-ba-an-ti 

has  received  them; 

4)  ud  Xll-kam 

{on  the)  twelfth  day 

5)  ki—iir-azag-nun-na—ta 
by  Urazagnunna 

6)  ba-zig 

{they)  were  expended 

7)  gir  II  xu-pi-qar- 

{the)  two  overseers  (being)  Xupiqar- 

8)  -ab-ra-ab-du 
-abrabdu 

9)  sa(U)  dug-ga-sag-ud 
and  Duggasagud 

10)  itu  ezen  (d)an-na 

{in  the)  month  {of  the)  festival  {of)  Anna 

11)  mu  en  dnina  urukki-ga 

(in  the)  year  {when  the)  high-priest  {of)  Nina  of  Erech 

54 


TEXT  OF  TABLETS  (XXVIII) 


12)  bir-e  ni-pad 

uttered  the  decision(oracle) 

EDGE 

X udu 

10  sheep 

Obv.  2:  su-pu  = sandqu(Br.  7211)  = press  together,  collect,  etc. 
(M-A.  p.  711). 

e-mu.  mu  = burn  ( See  LSG.  p.  229).  Compare,  “ kalamma 
mu-dim  mu-mu-mes  ” = they  burn  the  land  like  fire  ” ( CT . XVI. 
Ilf.,  20b).  Hence,  e-mu  — house  of  burning. 

3 : kus  — officer,  probably  connected  with  kus  = pa-an  ( MSL . 
p.  215). 

10:  See  Part  I,  § 10. 

Rev.  3 : su-ba-an-ti.  -an-,  infixed  object  of  verb. 

10:  See  note  on  XII,  R,  4. 

12 : See  note  on  XXVI,  R,  5-6. 

XXVIII 

OBVERSE 

1)  I sil  ba-ba-ti 

1 lamb  (of)  Babati 

2)  I sil  lugal-ma-gur-ri 

1 lamb  (of)  Lugalmagurri 

3)  I sil  u-dar-al-su 

1 lamb  (of)  Udaralsu 

4)  mu-gub  lugal 

on  hand  : royal  property 

5)  in-ta-e(UD-DU)-a 
Intaea 

6)  ni-ku 

(being  the)  shepherd 

REVERSE 

1)  gir  nu-ur-den-zu  dup-sar 

(the)  overseer  (being)  Nur-Enzu  (the)  scribe 

55 


SUMERIAN  RECORDS  FROM  DREHEM 


2)  [ud]  XXV-kam 

(on  the)  twenty-fifth  [day] 

3)  [itu]  ezen  dnin-a-su 

(in  the  [month]  of  the)  festival  (of)  Ninasu 

4)  mu  dsu-den-zu 

(in  the)  year  (when  the)  divine  Gimil-Sin, 

5)  lugal  uru-abki-ma-ge 
king  of  Ur, 

6)  ma-da  za-ap-sa-li- 
(the)  land  (of)  Zapsali 

7)  -ki  mu-xul 
laid  waste 

EDGE 

III  udu 


Obv.  2:  Lugalmagurri  was  a man  of  considerable  prominence, 
being  both  Patesi  of  Nippur  and  “ Commander  of  the  Fortress.” 
(HSA.  pp.  299 , 301.) 

4-6 : Of  course  these  lines  are  susceptible  of  the  reading : “ On 
hand;  Lugal-intaea  being  the  shepherd.”  But  I have  adopted 
the  translation  here  given,  as  well  as  the  parallel  passage  XIV, 
R,  4-5,  after  comparison,  and  bearing  in  mind  that  Intaea  and 
Abbasagga  (see  XIV)  are  well-known  names. 

Rev.  1 : Nur-Enzu.  Part  of  this  name  is  very  indistinct.  How 
ever,  the  reading  is  obtained  by  comparison  with  XXI,  R,  5. 

XXIX 

OBVERSE 

1)  I ansu  se 

1 fattened  ass 

2)  I mas-ru(KAK) 

1 gazelle 

3)  den-lil 
(for)  Enlil 


56 


TEXT  OF  TABLETS  (XXIX) 


4)  I siqqa-bar  se 

1 fattened  antelope 

5)  I mas-ru(KAK) 

1 gazelle 

6)  dnin~lil 
(for)  Ninlil 

7)  sa(LIB)  tum-ma-al 
in  Tummal 

REVERSE 

1)  lugal-se-su-ra 

(in  charge  of)  Lugalsesura 

2)  ud  I-kam 

(on  the)  first  day 

3)  ki— dug  (KA)  -ga-li--ta 
from  Duggali 

4)  ba~zig 
expended 

5)  itu  ezen-ddun-gi 

(in  the)  month  (of  the)  festival  (of)  Dungi 

6)  mu  dsu-den-zu 

(in  the)  year  (when  the)  divine  Gimil-Sin 

7)  lugal  uru~abki-ma-ge 
king  of  Ur 

8)  ma-da  za-ap-sa-li- 
(the)  land  (of)  Zapsali 

9)  -ki  mu-xul 
laid  waste 

EDGE 

[IV] 

[4] 

SEAL 

1)  dsu-den-zu 

(the)  divine  Gimil-Sin 

2)  lugal  lig-ga 
mighty  king 


57 


SUMERIAN  RECORDS  FROM  DREHEM 


3)  lugal  uru-abki-ma 
king  of  Ur 

4)  lugal  an-ub-da  tab-tab 
king  (of)  the  four  regions 

5)  ur-ddun-gi 
Ur-Dungi 

6)  dub-sar 
scribe 

7)  du  ur-dxa-ni- 
son  (of)  Ur-Xani 

8)  nita-zu 
thy  servant 

Seal  4:  “ King  of  the  Four  Quarters  (of  the  Universe).” 

XXX 

OBVERSE 

1)  III  gud  se 

3 fattened  oxen 

2)  zig-ga  lugal 
expended  (to  the)  king 

3)  I udu  se  gud-e  us-sa 

1 fattened  sheep , stall-fed 

4)  dub  as-ni-a 

(per)  tablet  (of)  Asnia 

5)  III  udu  dub  lu-sa-si 

3 sheep  (per)  tablet  (of)  Lusasi 

6)  ki--ur-su-ga-sul-lu— ta 
from  Ursugasullu 

REVERSE 

1)  lu-dnin-tu 

Lu-Nintu 

2)  su-ba-an-ti 

has  received  them 


58 


TEXT  OF  TABLETS  (XXX) 


3)  itu  ezen  dme-ki-gal(IK) 

(in  the)  month  (of  the)  festival  (of)  Mekigal 

4)  mu  di-bi-den~zu  lugal 

(in  the)  year  (when  the)  divine  Ibi-Sin  (became)  king 

SEAL 

1)  lu-dnin-gir-su 
Lu-Ningirsu 

2)  dub-sar 
(the)  scribe 

3)  du  ur-ddun-gi“ 
son  (of)  Ur-Dungi- 

4)  -sar-bi-mu 
-sarbimu 

Rev.  2:  subanti:  Notice  the  infixed  object. 

3 : Mekigal  here  has  the  god-sign,  contrary  to  the  general  usage 

on  these  tablets. 


59 


PART  III 


SIGN-LIST  AND  GLOSSARY 


(The  fora  of  a sign  which  appears  on  these  tablets  is  first  given, fol- 
lowed by  the  fora  used  in  the  Assyrian  period.  The  principal  authorities 
for  this  List  are  AL^BrjBB^MSLjand  OBTR.  A few  special  references  are 
included.  Characters  occurring  on  seals  are  starred  (*).  The  List  is  con- 
plate  only  for  these  thirty  tablets.) 


1)  

3>*-XS> 

4)  ^ 

5) 

6)  ^ <<<  ^ 


£ 

GIR 

GIR 


numeral  1 (see  Part  I, #5, Numerals) 
dagger 


n , i*i  >i  A 
g 9 v w H 


DINGIR  god  (determinative  before  divine  names) 
AN  heaven,high;  pronominal  infix  3d  pers. 
an-ub-da  region  (quarter  of  the  Universe) 

MU  name;  year;  fire, burn;  verbal  prefix 
mu-xul,mu-gub,mu-ru  (see  XUL,GUB,RU)p't  I,#5fV*b 
mu  • . , su  for  (see  Part  J, #5, Prepositions) 

se5,uru 

Se3-da  zebu  (TAD,p.8) 
uru-ab** -ma  city  of  Ur 

NANNAR 


8)  » < 

» — < 

TIL  slaughter 
ba-til  slaughtered 

9)  >-#• 

NA  pronominal  suffix 

na-ra-am  (Sem.) beloved 

10)  0— 

^T< 

TI  receive 

Su-ba-ti  received  ( see 

BAL  strong 

12) 

NTJ 

i3)  -fTfr^ 

SOTSk* 

UZ  goat 

14)  t£> 

MUQ  shabby,  inferior 

is) 

MAX  great 

16)  i-^Xf 

NITA,  UR^,  ERI  servant,  si 

* -{tXJ 

60 

SIGN-LIST 


17)  -TU-  AK  make, do, etc. 

18)  pJL  ot,  T *X-  bar,ma3 

' — 1 mas-ru  gazelle 


l9)  ^ 
*T=i 


»’  w 

™ Ms 

22)  jib* 

1 

CO 

C\J 

*rM 

24)ri&S 

25>  £3® 

36) 

37)  ^4j 

28) 

29)  ZglSp* 

m 

ma-da 

DAR 


land, country 

ccUM.lt  of  weight,  or  vaNe  ( — Y^O  ^ lKy%- 

= to  gin) 


GAL, IK 
QIN 

EN  lord, high-priest 

en-lil  city  of  Nippur 

^en-zu  Sin  (the  noon-god) 

EN-ZU  (see  above  ^ 7^  j 


DINGIR-SN  (see  4 and  23) 


BIR  (or  MAS)  kid;  oracle  (see  Note  on  XXVII.R.6) 
bir-gal  he-goat  (see  Part  I, #10) 


XU  bird 


LU  man 

lu-kabar  (great  man) an  official 


SIQQA  antelope, ibex 
iiqqa-bar  some  variety  of  above 


30)  fw 

HT<r 

«)  HT4 
•Pr— T? 

33>  'fHm  rff# 

35)  *JEE 

36)  4Stf  pJJJJ 


HINA  or  INHAHNA  the  goddess  liter 
RX(S) 

GI  measure 

gi-ra  slaughtered  (SAI,1614) 

gi-zi  exact  measure  (see  below) 

ZI,ZIG,ZID  expend, pay;  exact  (see  above) 

ba-zig, zig-ga  expended, paid 

NAM  prefix  of  abstract 

nara-sid  priesthood 

m ship 

ma-du-du  skipper 


city  of  Eridu 
61 


NUN 

nun*'* 


SUMERIAN  RECORDS  FROM  DREHEM 


37)  ^ 

SusJANA  one-third 

38)  gTZ 

TAB  numeral  2 (see  Part  I,#5,Nuaerals) 

39)* 

£i£=: 

TAB-TAB  numeral  4 tab-tab-ba 

40)  ^>< 

TUR  C o*-  KUJ>) 

41)  * ««< 

GAB  ground  grain,meal(see  P*t  I,#10) 

dedicate, etc,  ba-ab-gab  dedicated 
put  forth  (in  qa-5u~gab  q.v,) 

42)  Zt> 

GIB  ox, bull 

gud-e  ul-sa  stalled  cattle(see  P»t  I,#10) 

43)  Zf$> 

AM 

44)  rpw 

?cm 

UM  mother 

DUK  pot, vessel 

*>  mi 

QAR  (in  CU-QAR  q.v.) 

47) 

PA  official 

pa-kabar  lit, "great  official" 

pa-te-si  ruler  of  a city 
pa-al  seer 

48) 

PA-AL  (see  above  Sc  1*f-Z) 

49)  m 

^=TT 

GUR  a measure  of  capacity  (=300  qa) 

50)  Eft- 

«=W- 

MAR 

mar-tu  the  West  (see  Note  on  IX, 0,5) 

51)  ''V^' 

sr 

UD  day 

ud-sar  new  moon 

52) 

*et 

S (UD-DtJ) 

53) 

p-tffl  r i 

fr-YYYT 

ntty 

NER,NIR  hero,  prince 

54) 

I 

55)  ^ 

5b  hand;  favor, grace( Ass ,gialu); 

v verbal  prefix  (see  P*t  I,#5,V»b) 

su-ba-ti, su-ba-an-ti  (see  TI) 
su-pu  gathered 

56)  Jf— 

GAL,KAL  great 

57) 

*5=^J 

6*rr 

DA  suffix(see  Part  I,  #5,  Prepositions) 

62 

SIGH-HIST 

58}  (UPS^  &gf  portion,sll<maee,etc. 

B'MS  DE 

d§Sry-  IMM&  king  (lit ♦"great  man”) 


">  Wn 

6°)  j3 
61}  Sfr« 

* l^jw^ 
62)  gg- 

«)  Hf 

«*>  air 

65) 

66) 

67) 


«< 


B-M 

m< 


rr 


Zh-  *J 


68)  ^=f 

69) 

7°) 

* *3" 


*>. 


(71) 


72> 

73) 

74) 


— -T 


ge 

E 

LUX,  SUKKAL  me  a senger 
U,SAM  pasture, etc. 
l2l  mountain 

MUR 

BE,BI(L),NB,DB 

PI 

BA  verbal  prof ix( see  Part  I, #5, Verb) 

ba-til,  ba-zig,  ba-tug,  ba-dug,  ba-ru,  ba-xul,  ba-gab. 
su-ba-ti  (see  m,ZIG,TUG,DUG,RU,XUL,GAB,TI) 
ba-a  give, given 

ba-ni,ba-ra-ni,-ba-  pronominal  suffix 
(see  P't  I,#5,Pron.A  Notes  on  III,R,2  & 
XI,R,1) 

ZU,SU  knowledge  zu-ab  the  deep  kfctQ 
ZU-AB  (see  above)^the  deep 
ITU  month  *'*9 


Jm 

(m 


KA 

DUG 


re> 

76) 

77) 


mouth 
speak, etc 


78>  ££=T 

?9)  ^ 

80)  ^-<l< 


ba-dug  spoken, promised 

I & eat 

IP,IBIRA  merchant 
EMB  tongue 
SAG  head, chief, etc. 

KUD 

KUR  country;  mountain 

63 


SUMERIAN  RECORDS  PROM  DREHEM 


81) 

82) 

* 

<!M 

83)* 

t4= 

84) 

& 

85) 

86) 

&> 

* 

lG> 

87) 

&> 

Pn rrr 

88) 

Pi 

89) 

A*W 

90) 

zpr 

#1 

91) 

92) 

93) 

m 

94) 

0= 

95) 

► — - 

96) 

SIE 

97) 

<T& 

98) 

m 

•1 

XUM,IiTJM  fruit,plenty,increas8, breeding 
a-lum  fruitfulness 

lum-za  plenty-of- jewels 

DIM,§TJL  man,  lord 

dun-mal-a  an  official(lord-of-the-house) 


UB  region, etc. 

QA  a measure  of  capaclty(  =1/300  gup) 

qa-su-gab  grain-measurer  (see  Note  on  XIV, R,l) 

RU,DU  build,  make 

mu-ru  he  built  ba-ru  it  was  built 

NI,ZAL  verbal  prefix  ni-pad  (see  PAD) 

NI-NI  plural  idiogram  for  dingir(god),Ass. 
ni-ku  shepherd  ( ilani 

-ni  3d  pers.pl. termination 

IR 

^^gu-za  throne 
AX 

TE,TEMEN  receive 

ts-te  received  temen-na  received 

KAM  determinative  used  after  numerals 

employed  like  copular  verb(see  Note  on 

V,  0,8) 
IM 

QAR 

qar-zi-da  an  epithet  of  Nannar 
LUL 

GIR  overseer 

ANSU  ass 

SA,DI 

sa-dug  regulap  offering, tribute 

K1  place  (determinative  after  place-names) 

ki  . . . ta  from(see  part  I,#5, Preps.) 
ki-lal  weight, value 

ki-sig  couch 


64 


SIGN-LIST 


99) 

<ff 

AZAG 

100) 

p 

m 

SA(G) 

sa-ci 

sa-gal 

101) 

< 

< 

U 

102) 

<> 

<Z 

AB 

103) 

GIG 

104) 

M 

« 

Nl5 

105) 

<« 

<« 

u5u 

106) 

<b~ 

<r- 

SI 

107) 

<P^> 

<H? 

SIG 

108) 

<h&<*  <hjh 

PAD 

109) 

4r^<r 

ITlhl 

ux(u) 

uo) 

<b-fM 

<HMT 

SA,U 

2a-a 

brightness, silver 

heart;  used  as  preposition  in 
free-will  offering 
food 

numeral  10 
cow 

night, darkness 
numeral  20 
numeral  30 
eye 

purified, clean, etc . 

speak, declare  ni-pad  declared 

and 

old, elderly 


HI)  <F~TP~f  XDL  evil;  lay  naate, destroy 

ba-xul  it  was  destroyed  mu-xul  he  destroyed 


U2)  <<*- 

U3)  C3 
U4)  $sl 


— PU,BU 

AMAR  calf, young, offspring  (Ass. bur) 
^3?^  SIGISSB  offering  pi:  sigissa-sigisse 


U5) 

U6>  8 

U7>  ^ ^ 

U8)  f > ^ 

U9)  <<<«^  ^ 

i2o)  ^rr 
i22j  an  »*f 


XAR,GUR,MUR  command,  decree 
NIMIN  numeral  40 


5e 

IN 

TU(R) 

LI 


wheat;  fattened  (see  Note  cm  11,0,1)  ; 

yKea.su.r-e  of  weigh*  or' 

/«e  C=  >/fso  <?<») 


ALIM  (supplied  in  IIX,R,3) 
SAR,SAR  brightness;  fullness 


65 


SUMERIAN  RECORDS  PROM  DREH0J 


•3MI 

DARA 

antelope;  ibex 

GIS 

wood  (determinative  used  before  varlow 
articles  of  wood, implements  etc.) 

. 

gis-eme 

* tongue-wo  od"  ( Lau) 

gis-ur 

beams  (see  Note  on  IV, 0,3)  (see  UR) 

<?**gu~za 

throne 

125) 

X26>  fzJ  ^ 


i2v)  n^T 

128)  jctj  ^JT 
^tCTrrr 

* CCj 

13°)  £@f  NM 

x3i>  ^ 

132) 

133)  t=$ 

* cj> 

im>  atf  ^nr 


* g> 


136) 

137) 

138) 

139) 


SI 

GTJB  be  present, etc.  mu-gub  on  hand 

DU  to  be, etc. 

GUI 

KABAR,RIM  great, large 

UR 

AB  house;  temple;  pronominal  infix 

(P*t  I,#5,Pron$) 

URUK  uruk^'  city  of  Erech 
Cl 

GUN  a measure  of  value  or  weight  (*60  mana) 

BI  pronominal  suffix  3d  pers.(P*t  I,#5,Pron8^ 

TA  locative  suffix;  (used  alone)  from 

ki  . . . ta  from  (see  Part  I, #5, Prepositions) 

GA  milk;  genitive  suffix(see  P*t  I,#5,Pre/>*, 

URU  city 

EZEN  feast, festival 

BAD  wall 

TUM,IB 

ib-ra  an  official 


US  to  stand;  grade, quality 
III-kam  us  third  quality 
uS-sa  "standing  bound” 
gud-e  us-sa  stalled  cattle 
mu  u^-sa  the  year  after 
ui-sa  lugal  belonging  to  the  king 
66 


SIGN-LIST 


iCEEf 

*8 

142) 

m. 

143) 

se!M[ 

D 

145)  .jSpf 

146) 

o — y 

147)  /fTff 

148) 

149)  jrmff 

W 

iso) 

cffF 

151)  OT 

m 

* (t=f 

i!2) 

m 

im) 

154) 

155)  Jji- 

F- 

*“>  Hsm 

157) 

Jr? 

we) 

X^ 

* 

159) 

160)* 

161)  |§§f 

xar 

162)  J.\ 

T 

us -bar  weaver 

AD  father 
AL 

GAN,XE 


DUB  tablet 

dub-sar  scribe 

e-dub- ba  house  of  records 


LA 

§AL,MAL  house;  to  be 
GAN 

SIL  lamb 

UR  enclosure 

KALAM,UKU  people  (determinative  before  tribes) 
KAL,LIG  great,  mighty  lig-ga  /Vpp 

SID  priest  nam-lid  priesthood  (see  NAM) 

RA  motion  (see  Note  on  III,R,a) 

RA-NI  (see  153  & 86) 

SAL  female  sal-sil  she-lamb 

CU-QAR  goat-heifer  (young  female) 

GEME  female  slave 

NIN  lady, priestess 

DAM 

DU,TUR  son 

XUL  (in  UDU-XUL  & GANAM-XUL  q.v#) 

joy  (see  Note  on  IX,0,1) 

Dl|  numeral  1 (see  Part  I, #5, Numerals) 

GES  numeral  60 

67 


SUMERIAN  RECORDS  FROM  DREHEM 


163) 

TT 

IT 

MIN 

numeral  2 or  120  (see  P't  I,#5,Numerals 

164) 

ITT 

77T 

ES 

numeral  3 or  180 

165) 

7777 

V 

LIMMU 

numeral  4 or  240 

166) 

W 

w 

IA 

numeral  5 or  300 

167) 

YTT 

TTY 

aSSa 

numeral  6 or  360 

168) 

yjYr 

ITT 

BEEN 

numeral  7 or  420 

169) 

TOY 

TYYY 

yzt 

W 

USSU 

numeral  8 or  480 

170) 

F- 

ME 

171) 

ME-KC 

(see  170  & 98) 

17a) 

r< 

T< 

NER 

numeral  600 

173) 

SA,GAR 

sa-su 

cut, etc. 
property 

174) 

zr&j®’  <7^rr 

NIGIN 

(?>A-E)t  sunrise 

175) 

* 

Lid 

UR 

dog  (used  frequently  in  personal  names 
in  the  sense  of  "servant"  or  "worship- 
per" of  a divinity) 

176) 

177) 

178) 

r- 

V 

* 

a 

r 

LAL-l) 

jm 

£3 

LAL  loss, minus,  etc. 

ten-LAL-one=nine(p' t I,  #5,  Numerals) 

GIN  a measure  of  weight  or  value (=180  5e, 

sl/60  man a) 

NIGIN  fulness, etc. 

nigin-ru  perfect  (see  Note  on  IX, 0,2) 

179) 

M 

KU 

ku-us-e- 

garment 
»ne  officers 

180) 

£H-C?  M 

TUG,KU  establish, place, etc. 

ba-an-  tug , ba- tug  es  tabli shed , enac  ted , etc . 

181) 

M-t 

g M 

SU  (KU) 

(suffix)  for  (,a°.  &/S/  use*) 

\ I’tter'cAa-Kpecc&ty/ 

188) 

m 

Ml 

UDU 

LU 

Cr  Cs 

sheep 

JMIl&ft  UDU-XUL  fine  sheep  (see  183  & 161) 
8IG  wool  a-sig  woolliness 

GANAM  evre 


68 


SIGN-LIST 


186) 


187)  SA 

188)  r fim-jB  ^TTT  ? 


GANAM-XUL 

bind 


fin©  ewe  (see  185  & 161) 


i89) 


house, tempi© 

e-mu  bakery  (h*se  of  burning — see  5) 

e-kal  palace  (great  house — see  56) 

e-ku  refectory  (h*se  of  eating— see  75) 

LIL  wind;  demon;  land 

GE  genitive  suffix  (886  P*t  I,#5,Pr8P$) 

SAG  pure, good, etc* 

-lag-ga  element  used  in  proper  names 


190) 

n 

t? 

A water;  (suffix)  for;  abstract  prefix 

a- si  or  ER  tear  (see  106)  (Note  on  V,R,8) 
a-du  time 

a-slg  woolliness  (see  P't  I, #5, Noun) 
a-lum  fruitfulness 

191) 

ZA 

jewel;  a by-form  of  numeral  4 (see  165) 

192) 

* 

/A 

A 

XA 

69 


SUMERIAN  RECORDS  FROM  DREHEM 


ALPHABETICAL  INDEX  TO  SIGN-LIST 


A 58,  190 

AB  102, 

129 

AD 

141 

AX 

89 

AK 

17 

AL 

142 

ALIM 

121 

AM 

43 

AMAR 

113 

AN 

4 

ANSU 

96 

AS 

1 

ASSA 

167 

AZAG 

99 

BA 

70 

BAD 

138 

BAL 

11 

BAR 

18 

BE 

68 

BI  68, 

133 

BIL 

68 

BIR 

26 

BU 

112 

burn,  bur 

113 

DA 

57 

DAM 

159 

DAR 

20 

DARA 

123 

DE  59 

',  68 

DI 

97 

DINGIR 

4 

DINGIR-EN 

25 

DIS 

162 

DU  85,  126, 

160 

DUB 

144 

DUG 

74 

DUK 

45 

DUN 

82 

E 52,  63, 

188 

EME 

77 

EN 

23 

EN-ZU 

24 

ER 

190 

ERI 

16 

ES 

164 

EZEN 

137 

GA 

135 

GAB 

41 

GAL  21,  56,  146 
GAN  143,  147 
GANAM  185 
GANAM-XUL 

186 


GAR 

173 

GE 

62,  188 

GEME 

157 

GES 

162 

GI 

32 

GIG 

103 

gimlu,  gimil  55 

GIN 

126,  177 

GIR 

2,  3,  95 

GIS 

124 

GU 

88 

GUB 

126 

GUD 

42 

GUN 

132 

GUR 

49,  115 

XA 

192 

XAR 

115 

XE 

143 

XU 

27 

XUL 

111,  161 

XUM 

81 

I 

54 

IA 

166 

IB 

139 

IBIRA 

76 

ID 

58 

IK 

21 

IM 

92 

IMIN 

168 

IN 

118 

INNANNA  30 

IP 

76 

IR 

87 

ISI 

66 

ITU 

73 

KA 

74 

KABAR 

127 

KAL 

56,  151 

KALAM 

150 

KAM 

91 

KI 

98 

KU 

75,  179, 

180,  181 

KUD 

40,  79 

KUR 

80 

QA 

84 

QAR 

46,  93 

QIN 

22 

LA 

145 

LAL 

176 

LI 

120 

LIG 

151 

LIL 

188 

LIMMU 

165 

LU 

28,  182 

LUGAL 

61 

LUX 

64 

LUL 

94 

LUM 

81 

MA 

19,  35 

MAX 

15 

MAL 

146 

MAR 

50 

MAS 

18,  26 

ME 

170 

ME-KI 

171 

MIN 

163 

MU 

5 

MUQ 

14 

MUR 

67,  115 

NA 

9 

NAM 

34 

NANNAR  7 

NE 

68 

NER 

53,  172 

NI 

86 

NIGIN 

174,  178 

NIMIN 

116 

NIN 

158 

NINA 

30 

NIR 

53 

NIS 

104 

NITA 

16 

NU 

12 

NUN 

36 

PA 

47 

PA-AL 

48 

PAD 

108 

PI 

69 

PU 

112 

RA 

153 

RA-NI 

154 

RI,  RIG 

31 

RIM 

127 

RU 

85 

SA 

97,  187 

SAG 

78 

SAL 

155 

SAR 

122 

SI 

125 

SIG 

184 

SIGISSE 

114 

SIQQA 

29 

SIL 

148 

sin 


24  (see  also  23) 

SU 

71 

SUKKAL 

64 

Cl 

131 

CU-QAR 

156 

SA 

60,  100,  110, 

173 

SAG  100,  189 

SAM 

65 

SAR 

122 

SE 

117 

SES 

6 

SI 

106 

SID 

152 

SIG 

107 

SU  55,  181 

SUL 

82 

SUSSANA 

37 

TA 

134 

•tab 

38 

TAB-TAB 

39 

TE,  TEMEN 

90 

TI 

10 

TIL 

8 

TU 

119 

TUG 

180 

TUM 

139 

TUR  40,  119,  160 

U 65,  101,  110 

UB 

83 

UD 

51 

UDU 

182 

UDU-XUL 

183 

UX,  UXU 

109 

UKU 

150 

UM 

44 

UR  128,  149,  175 

URU  6,  16,  136 

URUK(G) 

130 

ussu 

169 

US 

140 

usu 

105 

uz 

13 

ZA 

191 

ZAL 

86 

ZI,  ZID,  ZIG 

33 

zu 

71 

ZU-AB 

72 

(Assyrian  values 

in  italics.) 


70 


PART  IV 
PLATES 


NOTE 

Tablets  marked  S have  seals. 

ERRATA 

BA-RA-NI  is  omitted  from  XII.  R.  8 
MA-DU-DU  is  omitted  from  XVIII.  R.  5 


71 


S3-  flg  J 


jzr^rr 

~Pi 


3ZI 


(^Hm  J 


ET 


TO  T -RT| 


«& 


? 


fpr 


sir 

-«1 


-•~-i$r 


s*  fi 


D 


xz 


m?±*M 


ms£>mg=re$~rj 


az 


irr  ar 


FF^ 

W^r 


rnsn^^l 


~&r‘ — 4f  Ppf 

_^_  * 


WWTfT 

^ T V<W 


C <j[  o 


rr  m 


wtsttw 

rw 


3K. 


YWim?rn& 

T&WF&me 


C~^g) 


t,  j(YT 

YtSw#ki  -AAL 

IWTOI 

u^t^l 


*».  < ~gri 


wshtt^ 


<^r? 


117 


L ggj~4 


Cra_^_®~D 


TIT 


<r 

« 


iSTgpi 


JT 

T ~ 

T~~ 

T ~ 


7HF 


a3=f 


««f 


*~4 


ma 


s 


„m  . 

q nn? 


LLm 

JSgg 

i$pr&F^~l 


n 

T B 


MK 


^11^—  t| 
m MgnrjBi>^rf- 

- — *—w 


M Mf-~-( 


'$*'+&=&%* 1 2 


Srgjss- 


, SEALS 

V enlarged  four  times) 

XXIV  and  XXIX 


XXIII 


1 — **»-  *zbl  *- 


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